FLEETS could help prevent the floods and severe weather currently battering parts of England from becoming more frequent and severe, a senior environmental campaigner has claimed. Roger Higman, senior campaigner for atmosphere and transport at Friends of the Earth, said fleets which adopt clean vehicles or alternative transport will help cut emissions of the greenhouse gases which cause the climate to change.

Addressing the Automotive Congress Europe in Lille last week, he called on car rental and leasing companies to offer fleets 'integrated transport services' as an increasing number of companies seek other transport modes because of road congestion and car parking problems.

Higman claimed up to 24,000 premature deaths are caused every year in the UK through air pollution, mostly caused by transport. Citing figures produced by the independent Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution, Higman said today's emissions of global warming gases need to be cut by 60% by the year 2050. He said pollution causes £1.2 billion damage to the environment and that congestion costs British industry £19 billion a year.

'That is a very depressing picture,' said Higman. 'The environmental problems are real, they are serious and they must be tackled. Car rental and leasing firms are presented with new opportunities as more and more companies seek other transport methods.'

Higman also added that high fuel prices were necessary to encourage drivers to use clean technology.