The head of a rural community charity has warned of the growing risk of home heating oil theft after her own organisation fell victim to thieves.

Kate Clifford, director of the Rural Community Network (RCN), arrived at the charity's offices one morning to find the heat was not working.

"We initially thought there must be a leak, but then we could see damage to the tank and knew something was seriously wrong," she said.

The charity had only recently filled its tank with more than 1,000 litres of oil which police later confirmed had been stolen.

Clifford said: "The tank at our offices isn't easily accessible, and somebody must have known we had recently filled up, so the worrying thing was it felt very premediated, and that felt quite sinister.

"We are a charity, so we have to be very careful with our funds, so to lose this was a huge expense to us and then we had to spend money on extra security measures."

The theft at the charity's Cookstown offices happened in 2024, but the charity is speaking out as new figures show there have been 600 reports of oil and fuel thefts in Northern Ireland since 2021.

Home heating oil is a key energy source for heating and hot water in the majority of households across Northern Ireland.

The Consumer Council for Northern Ireland said its tends to get more reports of oil thefts during an energy crisis when the price of oil is often pushed up because of geopolitics and global events.

Police figures show that oil thefts in Northern Ireland peaked around Russia's invasion of Ukraine and have been fluctuating ever since.

So far this year, there has been a small increase in oil and fuels thefts in the first six months of 2026, which saw oil prices impacted by the US-Israel war with Iran.

From January to June, there were 45 oil thefts in Northern Ireland compared to 59 during the whole of last year.

In March, BBC News NI spoke to a family from Limavady who had to move out of their home after heating oil thieves struck and turned the property into a "massive biohazard".

"In March 2022 after the invasion of Ukraine, 500 litres peaked to around £663 and 900 litres peaked to around £1,182," said Raymond Gormley, head of energy policy at the Consumer Council.

"This time period corresponded with the highest number of oil thefts, with the police figures showing 37 in a single month.

"This year geopolitics in the middle east are once again affecting things and we've had contacts from families impacted by thefts, so it's definitely something people need to be aware of."

Gormley said there are a number of steps that people can take to improve security around their heating oil.

"Install a lock or alarm on your oil tank and fit hardened flexible casings to any visible fuel hoses so that they are harder to cut.

"Another thing people can do is keep your garden or drive gates closed and securely locked as well as installing security lighting which can warn you or alert a neighbour of an intruder."

In May, the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) published a social media post warning the public of the dangers of oil thefts in Mid-Ulster following a number of incidents in the Moneymore area.

In July, the Consumer Council reported that the average cost of 500 litres of home heating oil jumped from £346.59 to £445.37 in the space of three weeks – an increase of £98.78 (29%).

The organisation said the price rise was in response to the recent escalation in fighting between the US and Iran.

At the beginning of September the average cost of 500 litres of oil in Northern Ireland had risen to £491.00.

Almost two-thirds of homes (62.5%) in Northern Ireland use oil for heating, the highest proportion among UK nations.

In rural parts of the country, the dependency on home heating oil rises to about 80%.

Clifford believes home heating oil theft highlights a wider inequality facing rural Northern Ireland.

"While urban households often have access to gas networks and a choice of energy suppliers many rural households depend on a single fuel source stored outside their homes," she said.

"This creates a unique vulnerability to crime that disproportionately affects rural residents, particularly older people, low-income households, and farms."

"Rural communities are often at their strongest when neighbours look out for one another, so if you notice suspicious activity, unfamiliar vehicles repeatedly visiting an area, or anyone behaving unusually around fuel tanks, report it to the PSNI."

A spokesperson for the PSNI said fuel tanks can often be seen as "easy pickings" for thieves.

"By taking precautions you can protect your oil – lock and disguise your tank, fit a 'level Gauge' with audible alarm and consider installing security lighting and CCTV."