New petrol and diesel cars are to be banned in the UK from 2040 in a bid to cut pollution related deaths.

As part of £3bn scheme to reduce air pollution the Government will also unveil a £255m fund to help councils combat emissions from diesel vehicles.

However environmental campaigners have criticised the Government for not imposing the ban sooner, reports the BBC .

The campaigners wanted clean air zones with charges for less environmentally friendly entering areas with high levels of pollution.

The Government had previously resisted such plans but it was forced to produce an adequate pollution reducing strategy to offset illegal levels of the harmful pollutant nitrogen dioxide.

Hazy pollution hangs over Sunday traffic the Huddersfield ring road.

Judges said that the Conservative government’s plans were not enough to meet EU clean air targets.

Councils will be given cash to help reduce air pollution, Environment Secretary Michael Gove confirmed.

Changing road layouts and re-programming traffic lights to make traffic flows smoother plus modifying vehicles to make them less polluting are some of the measures local authorities will be able to take.

Car being filled up with diesel at a petrol station

While environment campaigners welcomed the move, many felt it was too little, too late.

Green MP Caroline Lucas said the measure did not go “nearly far enough or fast enough”.