Expressley Pets reduces its carbon paw print

Converting to LPG has proved the right move for County Durham-based Expressley Pets, which specialises in transporting pets and animals across the UK and throughout the continent. Being DEFRA licensed to transport all domestic animals, means it provides a door-to-door service for vets, breeders and groomers. However, it is primarily pet owners that provide much of its work, some of whom have relocated and want to ensure their pet is transported to its new home the best way possible. With such high mileage – anything from two to six thousand miles a month – its decision last year to change to an LPG-powered van is not only helping reduce fuel costs, but is also lessening its environmental impact.“Although we offer short trips in the UK, a lot of my work also involves driving much longer distances, from Norway down to southern Spain and just about anywhere in between,” explained Expressley Pets owner Paul Girdwood. “So any way to reduce running costs, like using LPG, is very important.”However, it’s not just the money saving aspect that Paul benefits from when driving his 2003 Ford Transit, which was factory fitted to use LPG, as the cheaper fuel is also greener than petrol or diesel. Independent research has shown that vehicles running on LPG produce far fewer of the harmful emissions associated with traditional road fuels that contribute to environmental and health problems. These include reductions in Co2, associated to global warming and just as importantly, reductions in Nox and fine particles (PM10 & PM 2.5), which effect local air quality.Paul Oxford, business development manager at Autogas Limited, said: “It’s not just car owners that can benefit by converting to LPG as is the case with Expressley Pets and its Ford Transit van, which shows that there’s a wealth of benefits for all commercial vehicle owners.”