A Plaid Cymru MS has spoken out about the scandal of forced installation of energy prepayment meters.

Peredur Owen Griffiths said the issue is in “many ways the perfect distillation of callous Westminster politics and the rigged energy market that we’re burdened with in the UK.”

The South Wales East Senedd Member also said it was symptomatic of how poor people in debt are preyed upon in general in the UK, citing the example of the way bailiff companies operate.

Speaking in a Senedd debate, Mr Owen Griffiths said: “How did we ever get to this situation, where people’s homes were being entered without permission on an industrial scale to fit prepayment meters against their wishes?

“To add insult to injury, those on prepayment meters would end up paying far more for their gas and electricity than someone paying on direct debit.

“This means that a millionaire would pay less per unit of gas and electricity than someone in receipt of benefits, struggling to make ends meet.

“How was that ever legal?”

He added: “Families have gone cold this winter due to this scandal. Older people have sat in the dark due to this scandal.

“People have died due to this scandal.

“All of this has gone on while our energy companies have been making record profits; profits that have been made on the backs of people in misery.

“In a crowded field, this is one of the most shocking examples of unfairness that we can see in the UK today.”

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