How can I lower my carbon footprint?

Taking a more considered approach towards car use will help to significantly reduce the nation's carbon footprint, the government points out.

In its ACT ON CO2 campaign, ministers claim that if all motorists reduced the distance they drove each week by just five miles some 2.7 million tonnes of CO2 could be saved each year.

Transport minister Sadiq Khan states: "This campaign asks people to think more carefully about the journeys they routinely take."

He adds that as more than 40 per cent of the country's CO2 emissions are caused by things done as individuals "every action we can take to reduce this figure will make a difference".

Another way in which drivers can reduce their impact on the environment is by keeping tyres inflated to the recommended levels.

Doing so cannot only see less petrol or diesel used but can also help to prolong the overall life of the wheels.