Four-wheel drive vehicles should be banned from school runs and trips to the supermarket, according to British Liberal Democrat environment spokesman, Norman Baker. He also urges manufacturers to market four-wheel drives more responsibly.
"Manufacturers have identified that there are only so many vehicles they can sell to farmers and others who would legitimately use such vehicles," says Baker. "The slogans which they are using to sell their vehicles are aimed at urban users."
But, he says, there are real questions whether or not someone needs "a two-and-a-half tonne, 22-gallon vehicle to nip down to Tescos or take the kids to school.
"The whole point of these vehicles and the way they're marketed is to give the impression to those who buy them that they somehow are getting more confidence, they're getting a personality boost, they're getting an opportunity to fight through the 'urban jungle'."
But the use of 4x4 vehicles was defended by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) which claims the vehicles were becoming "an easy target for political opportunists". - PA