THE mayor of a London borough which recently introduced resident parking charges based on a vehicle’s CO2 emissions has taken on a Toyota Prius as his official car.

Cllr Bill Treble, mayor of Richmond upon Thames, has swapped use of a 4.0-litre Daimler DS420 limousine for the petrol-electric hybrid car.

He said: ‘Climate change is the biggest issue facing the planet today and the only way we can combat it is through changing our behaviour. As the first citizen of the borough, it is appropriate that I should lead by example.’

The council charges residents with the most polluting vehicles up to £300 to park in the borough (Fleet News, January 25).