Mercury Mariner 40hp Flywheel Cover 812617 on 2040-parts.com

New car sales still accelerating

NEW CAR SALES raced ahead again last month, according to official figures. A total of 72,163 new vehicles were registered in August 2014 - a 9.4% rise on August 2013 and the 30th consecutive month of growth, the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) said. Last month's figure took the year-to-date total to more than 1.53 million - a 10.1% rise on the total for the first eight months of 2013.

Fuel discount proposed for rural areas

MOTORISTS in exceptionally rural areas could see their fuel bills cut by up to 5p a litre under proposals aimed at easing the burden on the UK's remotest families. The UK Government has asked the European Commission to consider seven new regions across Scotland and in a part of north-east England. Chief Treasury Secretary Danny Alexander, a Highlands MP, said: "High fuel prices in areas where cars are a necessity, not a luxury, is a major issue in rural communities across the UK.

AXE WOES

AN ORDINARY car journey almost turned into a horror film on a highway north of the US city of Boston when an axe smashed through the windscreen of a car. Massachusetts State Police say the axe bounced out of a dump truck. A photo was released showing the axe with a corner of its blade stuck in the passenger side of the car's dashboard.