Sir Menzies has said his final farewell to his Jaguar car
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Liberal Democrat leader Sir Menzies Campbell says he has given up his beloved Jaguar car to highlight his commitment to the environment.
Sir Menzies says he is "tear-stained" to admit that the 20-year-old vehicle is up for sale and being housed in a barn on a farm in East Lothian.
He spoke out ahead of his party's bid to highlight its "safer, greener, fairer" local government programme.
Crime prevention is a central theme in the party's local election campaign.
'Sad farewell'
He highlighted the initiative during a tour of four south London boroughs on Tuesday.
He dropped in on Lib Dem-controlled Sutton to meet police officers and council staff who work together at the town's police station to provide neighbourhood wardens, drug and alcohol abuse services, wardens, truancy liaison officers and domestic violence services.
"Preventing crime is very much a liberal issue," he said, during the visit.
"The Liberal Democrats have pioneered a wide range of successful crime cutting measures at local level, measures which have a real impact on ensuring that we don't just talk tough on crime, we actually tackle it."
He said his party would be promoting plans for "acceptable behaviour contracts", arguing that Anti-Social Behaviour Orders (Asbos) are only about 44% successful.
Turning to the environment, Sir Menzies admitted that he had "said farewell" to his Jaguar on Sunday.
"It's in a barn on a farm in East Lothian - it's being sold," he told BBC Breakfast.
"We all need to use motor cars in a way that is advantageous to the environment.
"I won't be driving it again - I am almost tear-stained to tell you. It's my contribution."
Timid tax?
He said he was also taking the tube, rather than going by car, to many of his local election campaign appointments.
But he did admit that he occasionally used aircraft travel, adding: "If you go to the US there isn't really much alternative."
And he took a swipe at Conservative leader David Cameron for his plans to travel to the Arctic Circle to see the impact of global warming.
"You don't have to go to the polar ice cap to deal with the environment," he said.
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I won't be driving it again - I am almost tear-stained to tell you. It's my contribution
