BIG cars have been blamed for a rise in vehicle emissions in Weymouth and West Dorset.

Total carbon dioxide emissions in Weymouth and Portland fell by 15.8 per cent in the borough between 2011 and 2016

with the area being responsible for releasing 0.22 million tonnes of the greenhouse gas in 2016 – down from 0.26 million tonnes five years earlier.

However, the latest data from the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy shows that carbon dioxide emissions from freight and passenger transport travelling on the boroughs roads increased by 6.6 cent over five years, to 34.8 per cent of the total amount of carbon dioxide released in the area in 2016.

Total emissions of carbon dioxide in West Dorset fell by 14.7 per cent over five years, up from 0.68 million tonnes in 2011 to 0.58 million tonnes five years later.

The borough also contributed to increasing freight and passenger transport emissions, with a 6.6 per cent increase over the five years, leaving them responsible for 48.3 per cent of carbon dioxide released in the area in 2016.

Councillor Jeff Cant, leader of Weymouth and Portland Borough Council, said: “There are a lot more heavy vehicles coming into the town especially on Boot Hill.

“This results in a significant build up in Wyke Regis creating a traffic bottleneck, this is particularly concerning for schoolchildren.

“However, we have helped to curb the traffic issue by pedestrianising St Marys Street and St Thomas Street which has made a terrific difference on air quality in the town during the shopping day.”

Cllr Cant said that the increase in passenger and heavy vehicle traffic also puts a stronger case forward to build the Western Relief Road. which would see a new road built between the A354 at Ferrybridge with the B3157 Chickerell Road at the Link Road junction, bypassing the A354 through built-up areas including Wyke Regis and Boot Hill.

Overall, emissions from transport increased by 3.5 per cent in the UK over the period while the UK reduced total carbon dioxide emissions by 15.4 per cent between 2011 and 2016.

Gareth Redmond-King, head of climate change at the World Wildlife Fund UK, put the increase in emissions from transport down to the greater number of large cars on British roads.

He said: “We’re aping the American market and more drivers are switching to unnecessarily large vehicles with greater carbon emissions.

“Bigger vehicles tend to be less efficient on fuel use.”

Jason Torrance, a transport expert at UK100, a network of local governments committed to promoting clean energy, called on the Government to take urgent action to tackle transport emissions.

He said: “It is expected that the Government will want to give local authorities more powers to tackle air pollution in the environment legislation next year.

“But without significant shifts on things like electrification of railway lines, cleaner buses and taxis, plus a shift away from car dependency by designing our cities better, this trend will only get worse.

“There is £78.5 billion of planned government spend on transport infrastructure in England to essentially increase road capacity. That will worsen the problem rather than decarbonising or tackling air pollution.”