A Plaid Cymru MS has called petrol companies "immoral scum" and accused them of using the Ukraine war to raise prices.
Mabon ab Gwynfor, MS for Dwyfor Meirionnydd, said companies were "cashing in on a crisis" by raising the cost of petrol and diesel, the latter of which is nearly £2 a litre in some parts of Wales.
Sharing an image of a pump at a rural Welsh filling station - which showed diesel at just under £1.97 per litre - Mr ap Gwynfor said that prices had soared despite there being no ban on Russian oil.
Read more: Petrol prices near me: The cheapest fuel at Morrisons, Tesco, Asda and local stations
The Plaid Cymru politician went on to point out that Russian oil only makes up 10% of UK oil imports, leading him to conclude that the rise in prices were down to large petrol companies cashing in, rather than being a consequence of the conflict in Ukraine.
In a tweet, Mr ap Gwynfor wrote: "There's no ban on Russian oil. Russia's not a member of OPEC which basically sets oil price. Only 10% of UK oil comes from Russia.
"Yet this is the price of diesel in rural Wales. Conclusion: large Petrol companies are cashing in on a crisis. Immoral Scum."
"He added: “And just to confirm, petrol stations don’t set their prices. They don’t want to see high pump prices because it damages trade and trust. This is down to oil cartels.”
Petrol prices reached record highs last week, with some filling stations having diesel on sale for more than £2 a litre, while the RAC has said that diesel prices across the UK have now reached an average cost of £1.70 a litre, rising by 13p in the space of a week.
A petition has also been set up calling on the UK Government to cut VAT and fuel duty - which, combined with the costs of drilling and refining the oil and the fuel companies' profit margin - helps determine the price of fuel.
RAC fuel spokesman Simon Williams said that cutting VAT on fuel would protect drivers both now and in the future.
He said: “Prices at the pumps have been breaking records on a daily basis and to make matters worse the price increases have been seriously steep recently.
“Diesel has now topped the landmark average price of £1.70 a litre. It rose nearly 3p a litre on Thursday which means it has gone up by 13p in a week. Petrol is now above £1.61 for the first time ever having increased by 8p a litre in a week.
Mr Williams added: “We believe the Chancellor must take immediate action by cutting VAT on fuel to at least 15% to give drivers some instant respite and to protect them from future increases.
“The Chancellor could also temporarily reduce fuel duty, which is currently levied at 58p per litre, reducing this would help both businesses and consumers.”
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