Car Makers Attack 'Anti-Diesel' Campaign

By Gerard Tubb, Sky News Correspondent

A growing campaign to blame the drivers of diesel cars for dangerous air pollution has been attacked by motor manufacturers.

Emissions from diesel engines, including particulates and nitrogen oxides, have been linked to heart disease, cancer and asthma, while air pollution is said to kill 29,000 people a year in the UK.

After decades of tax incentives in favour of diesel vehicles, some drivers are now facing penalties for choosing diesel cars that cost less to tax but do more damage to air quality.

London's Mayor Boris Johnson has proposed adding £10 to the daily congestion charge for diesel cars, while Islington residents will soon have to pay an extra £96 for a diesel parking permit.

The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) has been stung into launching a campaign to try to persuade motorists to keep buying diesel cars.

Diesel users could face a £10 rise in the London congestion charge

Mike Hawes, SMMT chief executive, said: "Today's diesel engines are the cleanest ever, and the culmination of billions of pounds of investment by manufacturers to improve air quality.

"We need to avoid penalising one vehicle technology over another and instead encourage the uptake of the latest vehicle technology by consumers."

More than one in three cars on the road is now powered by diesel, up from less than one in 10 in 1994.

The popularity of diesel is the result of favourable vehicle tax rates introduced by the government in 2001 to reduce carbon dioxide levels from petrol engines.

Last year, the World Health Organisation warned air quality in most cities that monitor outdoor air pollution failed to meet safe levels, with people at risk of respiratory disease and other health problems.

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