David Chadwick has called on the Government to do more to help people who are dependent on heating oil to keep their homes warm.

He said in a Westminster Hall debate on decarbonising homes that Brecon, Radnor and Cwm Tawe has one of the highest levels of off-grid properties in the UK.

Mr Chadwick told MPs that more than a third of his constituents are dependent on heating oil to keep their homes warm.

Powys has the highest number of off-gas grid properties in Wales, with 35,790 properties (52 per cent) in the county not connected to the gas network.

Mr Chadwick said it is vital that the Government brings forward plans to help off-grid homes to decarbonise to help the environment and to help them bring their bills down.

The Welsh Liberal Democrats have also previously said that under current rates, the Welsh Labour Government insulation programme would take over 135 years to insulate all fuel-poor homes in Wales and have called for improvements in the scheme and for off-grid households to be prioritised.

Speaking after the debate, Mr Chadwick said: “Mid Wales has a huge number of homes not connected to the national gas grid that have experienced even higher price increases in recent years than the already high bills those on the grid have seen.

“Yet it doesn’t seem that the Government has any clear plan to address this problem.

“With air source heat pumps costing an average of £8,000 and ground source heat pumps going for a staggering £28,000+, it is simply unviable for most off-grid families to make the change without greater Government support.

“We also need to see insulation programmes improved so that off-grid homes can store heat better, this is especially true in rural Wales which often has old and poorly insulated housing.”