On the scrapheap at 18

Scrapping 18-year-old cars is the most environmentally efficient way to create a new green UK driving fleet, according to research.

The RAC Foundation says that a scheme to offer financial incentives to scrap cars aged between 17-18 years could achieve the optimum environmental benefits, as owners trade their older cars for newer, more efficient vehicles.

It would also remove most of the oldest cars that dont have pollution-cutting catalytic convertors.

The RAC Foundation research concludes that a carefully designed scrappage scheme would have a double benefit of boosting the new and second-hand car industry, while helping to make road transport greener by removing the most polluting vehicles from the road.