LATEST figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders indicate there were 29,007,820 cars on Britain's roads at the end of 2003.

This is a rise of 1.84 per cent since the last survey at the end of 2002 when figures showed a total of 28,483,961 cars.

The biggest increase came from diesel models. By the end of 2002 there were 4,083,055 diesel cars, but this rose 12.7 per cent to 4,602,607 models in 2003. The trend mirrors the increase in sales of new diesel models, which have more than doubled in the last four years.

In addition, SMMT confirmed there were 3,471,256 trucks and other commercial vehicles on the road at the end of last year, a rise of 2.4 per cent, and a 4.4 per cent increase in the number of motorcycles.