CUSTOMER choice at Vauxhall has widened with the manufacturer adding a 1.8, 16V engine to run alongside its two 1.6-litre-engined Astras in the dualfuel range.

The introduction of the new model coincides with news that Birmingham trading standards officers found 19 out of 20 cars tested had not had LPG conversions carried out correctly and were potentially dangerous.

Vauxhall has made it clear that it offers only fully-engineered, fully-warranted dualfuel cars and vans, built at its plants in the UK or Europe.

In a statement, the company said: "Thanks to a range of additional safety features, Vauxhall dualfuel vehicles are as safe as ordinary petrol or diesel models.

"All Vauxhall dualfuel gas tanks meet international safety standards."

Recent figures show that registrations of Vauxhall's dualfuel vehicles rose by 16 per cent in the first half of the year against the same period last year: 1,105 against 995 in January to June 2001.

The number of local authorities and fleet users deciding to add environmentally-friendly and cheaper to operate vehicles is growing.

Fuel costs are half those of petrol. While gas is about 20 per cent less efficient than petrol, an LPG vehicle can travel up to 50 per cent further than its petrol equivalent for the same cost.

Further savings come with the reduction of company car drivers' tax due to the lower CO2 emissions levels of LPG.