THE MP for Tiverton and Minehead, has called for urgent intervention to protect rural households from skyrocketing heating oil prices.

Rachel Gilmour is calling for Chancellor Rachel Reeves to take immediate action after she admitted that there has been “price gouging” in the heating oil market - with companies using the crisis in Iran to inflate prices.

Liberal Democrats are calling for an initial three-month zero-rating for VAT on heating oil for all residential homes.

According to House of Commons Library data, 42.3 per cent of households in Tiverton and Minehead are off the gas grid.

These residents, who rely on heating oil, are currently excluded from the Ofgem energy price cap, leaving them fully exposed to market volatility caused by the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.

The party has also called on the government to develop a mechanism to shield off-grid families from sudden price surges, to provide them with similar protection to the energy price cap. For the long term, the party has urged the government to upgrade homes and make them cheaper to heat, starting with free insulation for those on low incomes, and ensuring that all new homes are zero-carbon.

Ms Gilmour said: “Families in Tiverton and Minehead who rely on heating oil are being left to bear the brunt of shocks to the global market in their bills, simply because they cannot get access to the main gas grid.

“The government must provide immediate relief for households who are grappling with rocketing oil and gas prices caused by the conflict in the Middle East.

“The Chancellor knows that families who rely on heating oil are getting ripped off but she is refusing to help. She must see sense.

“Rural households cannot be left behind again by this Government, and I urge the Chancellor to listen to my party’s calls.”