Swapping a gas guzzling Jag for a eco-friendly scooter doesn't seem immediately appealing for the Mayor of Barnet.

Councillor John Marshall was pictured last week posing on a green moped at one of the environmental awareness events held at Brent Cross.

But he seemed reluctant to give his petrol powered Jaguar Sovereign the push in the short term in favour of the two-wheeled alternative.

"The trouble with electric cars is that they are mobile for about 40 miles before they have to be recharged, so it would not be very practical for me to get around in," said Mr Marshall.

"It wouldn't appear very good if I got stranded and had to wait eight hours for it to be recharged."

He added that he tries to keep his travelling routine as green as possible.

"This was the car I inherited and it will be replaced in time, but what I do try to do is maximise my use of public transport and actually walk to bus stops."

Website What Green Car, which offers an independent guide to the most environmentally friendly cars, rates the Jaguar model at 77, with 100 being the most polluting car.

It also claims the car produces 290g of CO2 emissions per kilometre and can cost 22.1p per mile.

Ben Lane, managing editor for the site, said: "People need different types of vehicle but the executive type vehicle could be much better than that and some models could halve the CO2 emissions.

"The figures give a measure of the total environmental impact if the car.

"It is important people look for alternative cars and consider models that are better for the environment, such as hybrids."