'Yank Tank' under fire

The Hummer H2 dwarfs most other vehicles on the road

It weighs 8,600 lb, is seven feet high and is made of shiny hardened aluminium.

And, despite being modelled on a military vehicle designed for the most unyielding of battlefields, the Hummer could be coming to a street near you.

Indeed, the only dealership in the UK stocking the £55,000 vehicle has already sold 25 and has another 12 on order.

But the monster 4 x 4 - nicknamed the Yank Tank by some - has been criticised by some road users who have branded it too big for Britain's roads.

The luxury Hummer vehicle - based on the Humvee US military jeep - went on sale in the UK after creating a stir in the US.

As they say in the US, they are intended to be driven through the canyons of Manhattan

Laurence Millett, car dealer

Laurence Millett, owner of Manchester car dealership, Bauer & Millett, said: "They appeal to the same sort of people who would buy any big car.

"Some are in show business, some are footballers, some are business people.

"They're the kind of people who are bored, have £60,000 in their pocket and want to drive something that they're not going to see another of on the road.

The Hummer was adapted from the US Army's Humvee transport vehicle

"Very few of them will be driven off road. As they say in the US, they are intended to be driven through the canyons of Manhattan."

But the seven-feet wide Hummer was criticised by anti 4x4 campaigners, who have launched a cross-party campaign about what they see as the excessive use of off-road vehicles in towns and cities.

Friends of the Earth's transport campaigner Tony Bosworth said: "This is not a car, it is a gas-guzzling road-hogging fashion statement.

"These types of car are starting to become more and more popular, which is a concern as most of them will never be used off road.

'Clearly intimidating'

Norman Baker MP, the Liberal Democrats' environment spokesman, said motorists should be taxed more for driving such vehicles.

He said: "They are too big for many of our urban streets and less safe for those outside the vehicle.

"They are clearly intimidating to those who are not in them, such as other drivers, cyclists and pedestrians.

"If people want to cause damage to the environment by driving these vehicles around then they should be made to pay for it."