'Dump patio heater wear a jumper'

Patio heaters have spread after the smoking ban

Scottish residents have been urged to ditch patio heaters and put on a jumper instead in a bid to cut down on damaging carbon dioxide emissions.

The Energy Saving Trust in Scotland revealed that 160,000 households in Scotland own or plan to buy a heater.

It said this could create 7,700 tonnes of gas every year, equivalent to a car driving from Glasgow to John O'Groats and back 43,000 times.

In Glasgow, the heaters are said to create 950 tonnes of carbon dioxide.

The use of patio heaters has grown after the introduction of the smoking ban in Scotland last year.

Mike Thornton, head of the Energy Saving Trust in Scotland, said: "We all know that Scotland gets cold sometimes but why don't people just wear a jumper?

We are calling on responsible retailers to reconsider the sale of patio heaters in light of the substantial amount of carbon emissions they produce Mike Thornton Energy Saving Trust in Scotland

"While patio heaters are not by any means the most damaging appliance to the environment, ditching the patio heater is an easy way of cutting down on your home energy use."

He added: "We are calling on responsible retailers to reconsider the sale of patio heaters in light of the substantial amount of carbon emissions they produce."

The news comes after a report by the Energy Saving Trust showed that the proliferation of LCD TVs and plasma screens was hampering efforts to cut down on home energy use in Scotland.