ARTHUR Large, chairman of LPG Systems, who has been travelling in a liquefied petroleum gas van from John O'Groats to Lands End, has been surprised by the level of support for LPG in rural communities. The sponsored trip, christened the JOGLE journey, was aimed at illustrating LPG saves money, is kinder to the environment and is available nationwide by refuelling at the LPG stations along the route.

Large said: 'Rural communities are totally dependent on their cars and have been hit by taxation which is aimed at getting cars off the road mainly in the south east and getting people into public transport. There is no public transport alternative for them. People in rural communities are very interested in LPG and it is an area we will be developing further.'

Large was joined on the 874-mile trip, which cost £40.22 (excluding VAT) in LPG - a saving of 45% over petrol, by John Nicholson, director of LPG Systems, and John Waghorn, operations director of LPG Systems. Trip sponsors include the Fleet Show, BP Gas, Shell Gas, Flogas, the Energy Saving Trust's Powershift, Direct Gas and Lex Vehicle Leasing.