Government defends vote on nitrogen oxide emissions

The Government has defended voting to allow cars emit much more than the legal limit of nitrogen oxide for at least a further four years.

The move came despite nitrogen oxide being responsible for lung ailments and premature deaths.

The EU has rushed to bring in new tests for nitrogen oxide. Recently the German car giant Volkswagen admitted its cars were emitting vastly bigger amounts of gas — but secretly, thanks to software that fooled tests.