EAST Lancashire's motorists are ignoring warnings about climate change and buying more gas-guzzling four wheel drive vehicles than ever, a survey shows.

According to the Association of British drivers (ABD), Land Rover sales are up 25per cent on last year's figures and 4x4 sales overall have increased by 50 per cent over the last five years in the region.

Environmentalists and the government have identified the vehicles as being detrimental to the environment because of their high levels of carbon dioxide emissions.

Increasing carbon dioxide levels in the environment have been linked by experts to climate change.

But ABD environment spokesman Ben Adams said there was still no evidence that human activity can have any effect upon natural and inevitable climate change.

He encouraged drivers to choose the car that best met their needs.

Mr Adams added: "Whilst Blair practices his Canute impersonations egged on by carefully chosen advisers from extreme green movement back-grounds the intelligent British public carry on with their lives unconvinced, choosing the vehicles that suit their needs, as opposed to those which are being dictated to them by spin."