TENS of thousands of diesel cars and vans are still on Herefordshire's roads, despite drivers being encouraged to move away from them in favour of cleaner fuels.

Figures from the Department for Transport and the DVLA show that 46,158 new and existing diesel cars were registered in 2017 in the area - 43% of all cars. There were also 16,833 registered diesel vans.

Despite the questions asked of diesel technology following 2015's Volkswagen scandal, in which the German manufacturer was found to be cheating emissions tests, 752 more diesel-powered cars were registered in Herefordshire last year than in 2016.

The UK government has since announced proposals to ban sales of new diesel cars from 2040, as well as exclusively petrol-powered vehicles.

In total, 139,985 vehicles were registered in Herefordshire last year, 1,936 more than in 2016.