Britain on road to ban fuel cars

BRITAIN will ban the sale of petrol and diesel-fuelled cars from 2040 when all vehicles must be fully electric as part of a plan to clean up air pollution.

The move will end the near 150-year reign of the internal combustion engine in Britain.

The crackdown could also see the introduction of levies on busy roads for owners of the most polluting vehicles.

The reported move follows a similar announcement earlier this month by the French government.

According to The Times, the sale of new hybrid vehicles that have an electric motor combined with a petrol or diesel engine would also end under the plan.

The move has been forced upon the British Government after it lost a High Court case on air pollution.

From about 2020, local councils will be allowed to levy extra charges on diesel drivers using the UK’s 81 most polluted routes if air quality fails to improve. Diesels might even be banned at peak times.

Judges ruled the government was breaking the law by allowing concentrations of nitrogen dioxide to build up in urban areas.

ClientEarth, an environmental law organisation, argued successfully that ministers were not doing enough to tackle the issue.

A judge ordered ministers to unveil the new air quality strategy to cut illegal levels of pollution from diesel vehicles by next Monday.

The government also faces fines from the European Commission, which has sent Britain a final warning to comply with EU air pollution limits for nitrogen dioxide or face a case at the European Court of Justice.

Nitrogen dioxide levels have been above legal limits in almost 90 per cent of urban areas in the UK since 2010.

The toxic fumes are estimated to cause 23,500 early deaths a year.

New guidance to councils supported by a $420 million fund will see them urged to introduce a range of measures to bring down pollution.

These include making buses greener, changing the phasing of traffic lights, removing

THERE’S NOW NO EXCUSE TO INTRODUCE TOXIC TAXES HOWARD COX

speed bumps and changing road layouts. Town halls will be told to do all they can to avoid hitting diesel drivers, who bought the cars in good faith, with punitive measures.

Motoring campaigners last night insisted taxes should only be a last resort.

Howard Cox, co-founder of Fair Fuel UK said: “With money to improve the most congested roads as the first line of improving air quality, there’s now no excuse to introduce Toxic Taxes.”