DEPUTY Prime Minister John Prescott has been issued with an ultimatum by Humberside Police fleet chief Alan Hocking - 'do more to back green fleets'. Hocking has issued Prescott, also the MP for Hull East, with a personal invitation to give his seal of approval to the force's own 'green' scheme which sees it in the process of converting all 460 police vehicles to liquefied petroleum gas.

Hocking says that despite Prescott's calls for greener transport in the long-awaited transport white paper published last week he has yet to view the fleet. Hocking believes that by giving his blessing to Humberside Police's initiative - one of the biggest alternative fuel fleet vehicle conversion plans yet announced - would help end uncertainty throughout the fleet industry over moving to 'green' fuels. Hocking said the force had 'grasped the nettle' and committed to 'going green' without clear Government guidance.

Humberside's force is converting nearly all its 460-strong fleet of vehicles to LPG and already has 57 LPG vehicles on its fleet. That number is expected to rise to 170 by next April. It has joined forces with Shell, which is providing private filling sites and fuel for the force.