Kevin Whitehead, of Autotech, in Nottingham Road, Ripley, is one of many retailers selling liquid petroleum gas (LPG) at less than half the price of petrol.

He has been converting cars to run on LPG for eight years and is reporting a 60% increase in conversions compared with last year.

He says it costs around pounds1,500, plus VAT, to convert the average car but, over time, that will prove a bargain if petrol and diesel costs continue to rise.

Cafe owner Peter Thein, of Draycott, had his Volkswagen Touareg converted to LPG earlier this year. He said: "My car was very expensive to run and would only do about 20 miles to the gallon.

"I was going to change my car but I love it, so I decided to get it converted instead.

"Once the price of petrol went up, it was the only option."

Source: Derby Evening Telegraph (c)