Campaign to target gas guzzlers

Four-wheel drive vehicles are popular in London

Drivers of "gas guzzling" vehicles should pay a higher congestion charge, to reduce their environmental impact on London, say campaigners.

The Alliance Against Urban 4x4s handed a 5,000-signature petition to the mayor of London on Wednesday.

They want owners of cars producing more than 225g/km of CO2 to pay £20 a day - £12 more than everyone else.

The group says it could reduce polluting vehicles by up to 40% and raise £34m a year to spend elsewhere.

'Creative and radical'

Jenny Jones, of the Green Party on the London Assembly, presented the petition to mayor Ken Livingstone at City Hall.

Sian Berry, for the alliance, said the popularity of 4x4s meant something "creative and radical" had to be done to reduce the number in London.

"Many other gas-guzzlers are equally polluting, even if they don't pose the same safety hazards, so we have proposed a simple system of charging cars a higher rate according to their carbon dioxide emissions," she said.

"Our report shows the change would be good value, paying back the costs of implementing the higher rate quickly, and raising extra revenue to improve transport in London after that."