Secretary of State for Transport Ruth Kelly has announced an extra £1.2million to train van drivers in greener, safer driving techniques.

The Safe and Fuel Efficient Driving (SAFED) scheme aims to encourage driving techniques that save fuel, thereby cutting costs and CO2 emissions.

The scheme has been popular and so far the programme has trained nearly 7,800 drivers.

Drivers who completed the training found they achieved an average 16% improvement in miles per gallon, giving a potential annual fuel saving of £3.3million and CO2 emissions reduction of 9,350 tonnes.

The saving is equivalent to an average of £425 for each van driver and a reduction for CO2 emissions of around 1.2 tonnes.

The new money will part fund training for new instructors, new assessors and up to 6,500 drivers over the next three years.