A GREEN campaigner has criticised Government plans to offer motorists incentives of up to £5,000 to buy an electric car to cut down on fuel emissions.

Paula Whitney, of Essex Friends of the Earth, spoke out after ministers claimed the measures would mean an electric car was “a real option for motorists”.

As part of the plan, incentives would be introduced to coincide with the expected mass introduction of electric and plug-in hybrid cars to the market.

To be eligible, cars would need to meet modern safety standards and have a range and top speed sufficient to provide mass market appeal.

Ms Whitney said the Government would have been better off encouraging the use of public transport or supporting the reuse of vegetable oils as fuel.

Sceptics have also pointed out the cars would be powered by electricity produced from fossil fuels, which play a large part in the production of the carbon dioxide emissions thought to contribute to global warming. Ms Whitney said: “This is avoiding the real issue. Right across the board people are unable to grasp the fact we have to put all our resources into pressing people to use public transport.

“I gave up my car 15 years ago and have never looked back. People, through snobbery and bad habits, can’t get out of their metal boxes to catch the bus at the end of the road.”

Speaking of the Government’s plan, she added: “This is just a sop to car users.

“Most of the electricity will come from carbon fuels and even some nuclear sources. Bio-fuels from used oils are a much better alternative and the Government should support this industry.”

Simon Lee, 40, was the co-owner of Rainbow Fuels, on Canvey, which aimed to produce environmentally-friendly fuels from used vegetable oil.

However, the company folded because there was a surge in demand for the oil, pushing up its prices. Mr Lee said a lack of Government support had been partly responsible for it folding towards the end of last year.

“Part of the problem was everyone was jumping on the bandwagon and buying up used oil from restaurants and that put the price up. The recession didn’t help because restaurants were using less oil, so there was less available.

“But we had no support. We couldn’t get any Government grants to help us,” he said.