THE MP for Dwyfor Meirionnydd, Liz Saville Roberts, has called on the Treasury to end the “injustice” facing rural motorists in Gwynedd.

Ms Saville Roberts has urged an extension to the rural fuel duty relief scheme to areas such as Gwynedd to help struggling households.  

The scheme allows retailers to claim duty relief on unleaded petrol and diesel and pass on the savings to customers.

The scheme covers 17 areas of England and Scotland, including parts of the Highlands, Northumberland, Cumbria, Devon and North Yorkshire.

No areas of Wales are currently eligible for the scheme.

Mrs Saville Roberts’ call comes as the government launch a scheme where drivers will be able to search for cheaper fuel prices, designed to stop retailers overcharging them at the pump.

Plaid Cymru has long campaigned for the rural fuel duty scheme to be extended to Wales – which is the most car dependant nation in the UK, due to poor public transport investment.

Speaking in the House of Commons, Ms Saville Roberts said: “Patchy public transport contributes to high costs to rural households as many people have no choice but to use their cars for essential journeys.

“Despite this, the Rural Fuel Duty Relief scheme does not apply to a single area of Wales.

“Will the minister commit to pressuring the Treasury to reconfigure the scheme to take into account access to local public transport networks as well as providing a guarantee of inclusion for Welsh areas?

“Starved of public transport investment, Wales is the most car dependent nation in the UK. We are therefore disproportionately affected by higher prices.

“Rural regions of Scotland and England with high levels of car dependency are eligible for the rural fuel duty relief. Yet Wales is not.

“We need tailored support to provide relief from rising off-grid energy bills and fuel prices.

“Fuel costs are causing serious problems for workers in car-dependent rural areas such as Dwyfor Meirionnydd.

“It is crucial that the UK Government takes every possible step to mitigate the impact on those most exposed to high prices.”