THE Green Party s mayoral candidate Sian Berry is unsurprisingly backing plans to more than triple the congestion charge for gas guzzling cars. Any vehicle emitting more than 225 grammes of carbon dioxide per kilometre would be charged £25 per day to ente

THE Green Party's mayoral candidate Sian Berry is unsurprisingly backing plans to more than triple the congestion charge for gas guzzling cars.

Any vehicle emitting more than 225 grammes of carbon dioxide per kilometre would be charged £25 per day to enter the central London zone - under plans drawn up by Ken Livingstone.

Berry, who lives in Kentish Town, welcomes penalising the highest polluting vehicles and exempting smaller cars such as diesel hatchbacks and hybrid vehicles that emit 120 grammes or less of CO2 per kilometre from the £8 charge.

"I completely support the principle of emissions-based congestion charging," she says.

"I know that the vast majority of Londoners support the idea too.

"A survey, conducted by Greenpeace and the Alliance Against Urban 4x4s, found 85 per cent in favour and other polls repeatedly find opposition to the use of highly polluting vehicles as city runabouts.

"The fact is there is no need at all to have a big gas-guzzling car in London.

"I would urge everyone who wants to see a cleaner, greener London to respond positively to the public consultation and help get these needlessly dirty vehicles off our streets.

"If we are serious about tackling climate change, then we have to get serious about curbing our emissions."

The scheme is now out to public consultation.