The Government has set a target that all petrol and diesel should contain at least two per cent of biofuel in future.

However Jane Gresham, a member of the campaign group, says biofuels are a "tragedy for the environment and the poor and are not a viable alternative to burning fossil fules".

She said: "Crops grown specifically for biofuels cause two problems. They raise the price of food so that poor people can't afford to eat and large tracts of rain forest in Brazil and Indonesia are being cut down to release land for growing the biofuel crops.

"Rain forests are the lungs of the world absorbing C02 and releasing oxygen, and too much has been destroyed already. People in Scarborough should be very concerned about what's happening to the environment because we believe the Government is not taking climate change seriously enough."

To join Scarborough Against Climate Change call (01723) 363930 or e-mail scarboroughccc@hotmail.co.uk