A VALLEY pensioner and his son are urging motorists to help save the environment.

Donald Simcock, 75, came out of retirement to set up Lancashire Green Fuels, a company that produces vegetable-based Biodiesel, with help from his son, Paul.

Set up at Carrs Industrial Estate, Haslingden, three months ago, it is only the second firm in the county to offer the eco-friendly, renewable fuel.

Biodiesel uses plant oil, which means it does not give off any carbon emissions like fossil-based diesel. Any diesel engine vehicle can run off it, without any need for modification.

Donald, who lives with his wife, Mary, in Whitewell Bottom, said: "I retired 10 years ago from building maintenance work, but I always like to keep busy. I've also always been an outdoors person, and Paul and I were talking about how everything is going against the environment at the moment.

"It's frightening to think that most people seem to not have the foresight about how nasty things could turn out. It's becoming more obvious with all the recent erratic weather that things are not right.

"Instead of just talking about it, we wanted to actually do something, so we did our research and decided on Biodiesel."

The company uses recycled vegetable oil, reclaimed from local restaurants and takeaways, as well as new oil from plant crops. The fuel can be used in pure form, or mixed with normal diesel, and customers can fill up from a pump on site, or can buy up to 1,000 litres at a time to take away. It costs roughly the same as normal diesel.

Paul, 47, said: "It's fantastic stuff. It does no damage to the environment, and actually improves it - for every tonne of fuel produced, more than two-and-a-half tonnes of carbon is actually absorbed by the plant crops grown for it. It really is a win-win situation."

He added: "I have three children and I worry about their future, and that of their kids. We have to think about what sort of world we are leaving them."

Donald added: "People in Rossendale have been showing real interest, and also from elsewhere in the country, so we would like to get another production machine to expand.

"It would be great to get a grant from the government but, despite all the talk about climate change, there are none to be had. And the UK is the only country in Europe to still have tax on biofuel."