Diesel fuel may no longer be sold in petrol stations across London within less than a decade, according to an expert.
Climate campaigners Transport & Environment (T&E) have claimed there is a “very real scenario” where diesel could be unavailable from the “early 2030s”.
However, they claim the transition will be consumer-driven with a lack of demand set to encourage firms to ditch the compound.
It comes after new data reveals that the sale of diesel fuel has massively dropped in the capital over the past four years.
Analysis of statistics from the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero found sales had fallen by 40 percent in London and 15 percent across the rest of the country.
The chart shows there were considerable drops at least once a year as well as a steady month-on-month decline.
Speaking exclusively to Express.co.uk, Matt Finch, UK Policy Manager at T&E claimed the tipping point was “close” in London.
He explained: “The blunt truth is it’s falling in all regions but it’s really quite dramatically falling in London.
“It’s nearly 40 percent down since they started publishing the stats which was right at the beginning of 2020 which is a huge amount.
“If you are a profit-making business and you’re selling a product and people stop buying that product you’re going to stop stocking it.
“There’s a very real scenario where in London filling stations, petrol stations, become just that. They only stock petrol and not diesel at some point in the near-ish future.
“That might be the early 2030s but it’s close in London if trends continue. Outside the country, the falls are far less steep. They are about 15 percent or so but it’s still down.
“It’s not like diesel cars have moved out of London and diesel sales are up in the rest of the country, they are not alone.”
Alongside the fuel warning, T&E has called for the introduction of specific rules aimed at reducing diesel use.
Possible updates include an earlier ban on the sale of new diesel cars before the current 2023 cut-off fate.
A new zero-emission vehicle (ZEV) mandate on HGVs and updating the tax system so consumers prioritise other types of vehicles over diesel cars have also been mooted.
