NEW diesel and petrol cars and vans will be banned from 2040 in an effort to tackle pollution.

The Government also revealed today that local councils will be able to bring in charging zones for dirty vehicles, as part of an expected £255 million package to help speed up local measures to deal with pollution from diesel vehicles.

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Environment Secretary Michael Gove also pledged to work with local authorities developing “value for money and appropriately targeted” diesel scrappage schemes.

Cllr Nick Peel, Bolton Council’s executive cabinet member for environmental services, believes that huge infrastructure investment — particularly in charging points for electic vehicles — will be required to deliver this ‘massive cultural change’.

He said: “I have always argued that the key to tackling pollution is actually investment in other energy sources and in other modes of transport.

“That would give people real choices to use clean energy.

“I don’t think we should be talking about congestion charges or schemes like that because that does not tackle the root cause of people having to use petrol vehicles.

“I think £255 million for all local authorities in Britain is a drop in the ocean for the level of research and investment required to create a massive cultural change.

“It is not going to be something that happens overnight.”

Earlier this year, it was revealed that the region’s transport bosses were considering a £7.50 tariff for high-polluting vehicles on St Peter’s Way and and other areas with high levels of emissions.

Cllr Peel added: “2040 is a long time away and this long-term thinking is welcome.

“Looking to phase out petrol and diesel cars is the sensible thing to do rather than a total ban. I don’t think the country is ready for a sudden change.

“The infrastructure just isn’t in place and there is a whole lot of work that needs to be done in the coming decades.”

Mr Gove added that outside London there are a “limited number of roads” which have too many diesel vehicles travelling on them.

He said: “What we’re announcing today is a package, more than £200 million, which will go to those local authorities in order to enable them to draw up appropriate plans in order to deal with some of the particular challenges they face.

“Those plans could include everything from changing the bus fleet - retrofitting buses so that they no longer emit some of these noxious fumes — but it could include, in specific areas, particular restrictions on drivers.”

Mr Gove said it was up to local authorities to develop plans, encouraging them to develop “imaginative” solutions.