Hexham MP says people on heating oil let down by poor regulation

Charities and MPs representing rural communities said they had been "let down" by the lack of regulation of heating oil. The government has announced help for "vulnerable" households who have been hit by sharp price increases since the outbreak of the Iran war. Joe Morris, Labour MP for Hexham, in Northumberland, said he had been "shocked and angered" by the impact of the price spike and said "poor regulation" was to blame. Energy Secretary Ed Miliband said the government was committed to tackling cost of living pressures and was planning "new measures to protect customers against any unfair practices". Approximately 30% of homes in Cumbria and Northumberland do not have mains gas and rely on heating fuels such as oil or LPG. Morris said: "For too long, those rural communities that are off the gas grid have been let down by poor regulation of the sector something that the wars in Ukraine and in Iran have repeatedly and vividly exposed." Christine Nicholls, from Community Action Northumberland, said the charity had been "banging on for years" that heating oil should be regulated. She said she wanted the immediate reinstatement of the Alternative Fuel Payment, a £200 government grant