Sinn Féin has called on the Irish government to cancel plans to increase petrol and diesel prices in October.

The party's finance spokesperson on Finance, Pearse Doherty TD said the government's plan to increase petrol and diesel prices twice more in October is "atrocious and needs to be stopped".

Prices will will increase with a hike in the carbon tax on 11 October and a further excise duty increase on 31 October.

-- Advertisement --

In a statement, Mr Doherty said: "By the end of October, they will have increased the price of petrol by 10 cents per litre and the price of diesel by more than 8 cents per litre, pushing both closer to €2 per litre.

"Ordinary workers and families simply cannot afford these hikes in the middle of a cost-of-living crisis.

"I warned the Government that pressing ahead with these tax hikes was the wrong decision when prices and the international oil market remained volatile.

"Once again, we see that the longer that Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil are in government the worse things keep getting for those struggling with the cost of living. It’s time for change."