Wiltshire Council has been landed with a £600,000 environment tax bill after the county was left lagging behind in the race to reduce carbon emissions.

The hefty government tax, known as the Carbon Reduction Commitment, is based on the increasing levels of carbon the council, private businesses and the general public of Wiltshire are using.

Between 2005 and 2007 the south west reduced its carbon footprint by 2.1 per cent but Wiltshire was left trailing behind with an increase in emissions by 3.1 per cent in the same period - making it one of the worst records in the country.

In 2007 the county’s total carbon footprint was 4.76 million tonnes or around 12 per cent of the south west’s usage and one per cent of the UK.

If the county fails to reduce its carbon footprint over the coming year, Wiltshire Council will face even greater CRC contributions.

The £600,000 will be paid in June 2012.

Council leader Jane Scott said: “The carbon footprint is based on a survey of all public buildings, an average emission for the housing stock and the amount of waste we send to landfill.

“We need to get Wiltshire’s carbon footprint down as quickly as possible otherwise we will face even bigger costs the following year.”

Wiltshire Council cabinet members are set to approve a new eco strategy today which sets out a plan to tackle the amount of energy we use in the county.

Mark Boden, corporate director for neighbourhood and planning, admitted in a report to cabinet members that the money available in the budget would not go far enough. He said: “The scale of investment required to reach the target reduction of 11,823 tonnes of carbon by 2013/14 is much greater than the resources currently available.”

A £500,000 budget each year until 2013 has been set aside for energy saving projects whilst a Green Champions Network has been established to encourage council staff and schools to change their behaviour when it comes to energy use.

Cllr Toby Sturgis, cabinet member for the environment, said: “We are entering a critical period for climate change and energy security at the national and local level. The need to build a secure, low carbon economy here in Wiltshire is vital.”