The Bishop of Manchester, the Rt Rev Nigel McCulloch, has announced he is to switch to an electric-powered car.

|PIC1|Joining some of Hollywood's most famous celebrities such as George Clooney, Brad Pitt and Leonardo Di Caprio, the clergyman is hoping to do his bit in fighting carbon emissions and climate change.

The decision was made by Bishop McCulloch as he continues with his three-year pilgrimage touring his diocese, and he is urging others across England to turn "green" too.

The hybrid card, a Toyota Prius, combines electricity with regular petrol use, to create a more environmentally friendly option for road-users. The same car is used by Jennifer Lopez and Julia Roberts, the MEN has reported.

The Bishop commented on the experience of using the new car: "It is very different travelling in a hybrid car. At traffic lights, your engine is switched off by the onboard computer. As you pull away, there is still no engine noise as the batteries kick in.

"The car computer shows 99 miles per gallon at times as it switches silently between electricity and petrol fuel."

He added: "I'm in the middle of a three-year pilgrimage, travelling hundreds of miles a year visiting every parish in my diocese.

"Buying a hybrid car made sense. Not only is it very economical, but emissions are greatly reduced, leading to less pollution.

"These are important issues for any city. I hope others will consider going hybrid when choosing a car for business travel or even the school run."

Other manufacturers including Honda, Ford and Lexus have also entered the hybrid car market, offering drivers a range of environmentally friendly options.

The cars use small, fuel-efficient petrol engines, boosted by electric motors which kick in when the vehicle is accelerating.

Hybrid cars are exempt from the London congestion charge, although the MEN points out that this is unlikely to help the Bishop on his pilgrimage, as transport chiefs in Greater Manchester have as of yet made no such promises.