Hopes that Britain has turned into a nation of environmentalists were dealt a severe blow yesterday by an official report which found that the nation's carbon footprint was growing.

Although far more households were separating their rubbish for recycling, any benefits to the environment have been more than wiped out by a sharp rise in car journeys, a decline in cycling and a dramatic increase in commercial flights.


The findings come in the latest report on regional trends from the Office for National Statistics.

It found that the number of cars owned by British households had increased by five million to 27.8 million in the past decade. All regions have had an increase in car registration, but the North East and East Midlands have had the biggest growth, up 30 per cent each.

In the past two years alone, there has been a 3 per cent increase in distance travelled by car to 5,900 miles per person per year.