CAMDEN Council has placed a major order for clean emission vehicles as part of its 'Greening Camden's Fleet' initiative. The first order for the alternatively-fuelled vehicles includes 15 gas vans and eight electric cars, while a further 15 green vehicles will be added to the fleet next year, all of them replacing diesel-engined vehicles.

The programme has received immediate support from transport minister Glenda Jackson, who praised the council's lead in tackling air pollution. 'Fleet operators can make a real difference by replacing dirty diesel vehicles with cleaner models,' she said.

Camden has installed a liquefied petroleum gas pump to refuel its LPG fleet, while the electric cars can be recharged from normal 13- amp, 240-volt sockets. Grants from the Energy Saving Trust and the pan-European Zeus project have helped to cover the acquisition cost of the low emission vehicles, and the council's fleet manager Lew Price believes running costs should be comparable to, if not lower than, equivalent petrol and diesel vehicles.