Northern Ireland diesel and home heating oil average prices fall to lowest levels since Russian invasion of Ukraine a year ago, new data shows

A week after the invasion began in late February last year, the average cost of a 900 litre delivery of oil in Northern Ireland had shot up from £555.72 February 24 to £758.11 on March 3.

Average prices reached a peak a week later, at £1181.53 on March 10, before falling again a week later to £899.58.

Home heating oil prices in Northern Ireland - alongside the cost of gas, electricity, vehicle fuel and other forms of energy - have fluctuated but have remained stubbornly high ever since.

That is according to data published each week by the Northern Ireland Consumer Council.

The consumer council also publishes data on the cost of vehicle fuel.

The impact of the Ukraine war on petrol and diesel prices wasn't as swift, the data shows.

A week after the Russian invasion, petrol had risen from 145.6p per litre on February 24 last year to 147.1p, while diesel prices rose from 148.2p to 150.5p.

While prices rose steadily over the following months, it wasn't until the summer that vehicle fuel costs peaked - at 197.5p per litre for diesel on June 30 and 189.9p per litre for petrol.

Now, the latest figures from the consumer council show that both petrol and diesel prices have come down slightly since last week.

The average retail price for diesel of 162.5p per litre is the lowest since March 10 last year, one week after Russian troops cross the border and moved into Ukraine.

The average cost of petrol, meanwhile, of 143.7p per litre is one of the lowest reported in the past year but still very slightly above the 142.8p per litre average reported on January 19 this year.

On Thursday morning, the average price for a 900 litre delivery of home heating oil in Northern Ireland had fallen to £714.27 - a drop of more than £40 on last week's average of £745.86.

The current average price is the lowest reported by the consumer council since the rapid increase following Russia's invasion.