Dieselgate: EC begins legal action against UK and other EU nations

Germany and Spain among those accused of failing to set up penalty systems to deter violations of emissions law

The European commission has started legal action against the UK and six other EU states for failing to act against car emissions cheating in the wake of the "dieselgate" scandal.

VW was forced to recall nearly half a million cars from the US market last year after it was revealed that the company had used sophisticated "defeat devices" to game emissions tests. Other manufacturers have also used techniques to give lower emissions readings in lab tests than in real world driving.