Charity leads calls to go electric

Businesses and environmentalists have called on the Scottish Government to set a date for phasing out cars running on petrol and diesel.

Conservation charity WWF has teamed up with organisations across Scotland involved with electric vehicles to call on the Scottish Government to take action to reach future emissions targets.

Independent analysis conducted for WWF found half of buses and one in three cars on Scotland’s roads needs to be electric by 2030.

The organisations now want the Government to set a date to phase out fossil fuel vehicles as well as putting in place plans to enable rapid growth of Scotland’s electric vehicle-charging network. An online trader from Fife who tried to sell endangered animal parts has been ordered to perform 250 hours of unpaid work.

Gary Whyte from Cowdenbeath was given a community payback order at Dunfermline Sheriff Court after he admitted putting tiger claws up for sale on eBay.

His auction was spotted by a police officer in the National Wildlife Crime Unit and a search of the 50-year-old’s home uncovered the items, which are protected by international law.

The Rosyth Dockyard worker had bought the claws at an auction room in Dunfermline for £28.75.

The lot had been described as “a small box of various fossils, claws and teeth”.

He put them up for sale on eBay and the selling price was sitting at £102 when

WILDLIFE CrIME OFFICER PC LINDSAY KERR