Norwich city council is aiming to encourage car insurance customers and other road users to re-think the size of their cars.

It has launched a new parking permit scheme based on the size of vehicles in an effort to promote smaller and more fuel-efficient cars, the Evening News reports.

Those with the largest cars can expect to pay £30 a year to park, compared with £16 for those with the smallest vehicles.

However, so far only 42 per cent of the 2,457 cars registered for permits were within the small category.

Brian Morrey, executive member for sustainable city development at the council, told the newspaper that people are unlikely to change their cars overnight but looking forward it may give them something to think about.

"I think we've got it more or less right. We're trying to encourage people to be more environmentally-friendly which is all we can do," he remarked.

Last month, the Environmental Transport Association claimed people were being undercharged for parking and that some car parks would be worth more if they were used for something else.

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