Londoners with the least environmentally-friendly cars will face a charge of £25 a day to drive their vehicles in the centre of the capital.

The announcement was made by the Mayor of London Ken Livingstone as part of his scheme to reduce the contribution of urban traffic to the greenhouse gas emissions that cause global warming.

From October 27th cars with the highest greenhouse gas emissions, such as the so-called ‘Chelsea tractors’, high powered sports cars and luxury vehicles, will pay a daily charge of £25 to drive in the central London congestion charge zone.

Cars with the lowest carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions will only have to pay the standard congestion charge.

Mr Livingstone aims to reduce London’s CO2 emissions by 60 per cent by 2025.

“Nobody needs to damage the environment by driving a gas guzzling Chelsea tractor in central London. The CO2 emissions from the most high powered 4x4s and sports cars can be up to four times as great of those of the least polluting cars,” he said.

“I think this scheme will start a cultural revolution whereby drivers in every city in Britain start to think about the impact on the environment of their choice of car and how they plan their journeys.

“We will be closely monitoring this scheme to ensure that goal of reducing traffic congestion in central London remains a central priority.”

The announcement has been welcomed by Friends of the Earth director Tony Juniper, who described road traffic as “one of the biggest contributors to climate change”.

“Measures that get people to choose greener cars, as well as to drive less, are urgently needed,” he said.

“Charging gas-guzzling vehicles more to drive in central London is extremely welcome and supported by most Londoners.”