Norwich City Council is to force residents who require on-street parking to pay depending on the length of their car.

While cities across Europe introduce charges based on emissions, the Norfolk city took the step of getting out its tape measure to penalise residents who drive long vehicles.

The charges, due to be introduced in March, are aimed at reducing pollution as well as creating more parking spaces.

However, short cars (less than 3.92m) such as the MINI Cooper S, which produces 149g/km of CO2, will be charged at the lowest level of £16.

But longer cars, such as the Ford Focus 1.6 TDCi, which produces just 127g/km of CO2, will receive a £22 annual bill.

Cars longer than 4.45m, such as the Ford Mondeo 1.8 TDCi, which produces just 3g/km of CO2 more than the MINI, will be charged at the maximum £30 per year.

The council said: “As well as taking up less space, smaller cars also produce, on average, less greenhouse gas emissions and air pollution than larger cars.

“So small cars are also better for the environment.”