A NORTH West MEP wants Britain to create thousands of new 'green jobs' by developing a crucial new technology.

Liberal Democrat Chris Davies said he won the backing of the European Parliament (524 votes to 141) for his proposals to kickstart the development of carbon capture and storage (CCS) to reduce CO2 emissions from industry and power generation.

With CO2 'capture plants' under construction in the USA, Canada and China, MEPs say that Europe could not only fail to achieve CO2 reductions at least possible cost but also risks losing out on export orders.

Geologists claim that rock formations below the North Sea could provide permanent storage space for all of Europe's CO2 emissions over hundreds of years.

Mr Davies says that the United Kingdom is the best placed country in Europe for CCS development, and argues that it will be less expensive than providing subsidies for offshore wind and solar power.