Over four million people living in Yorkshire and the Humber are at risk of being cut off from work and healthcare, because of the rising costs of owning and running a car and a lack of alternatives.

A report by the charity Sustrans outlines the growing problem of a condition being termed 'transport poverty' and calls on ministers to invest in public transport and safe walking and cycling routes to give people alternatives to increasingly unaffordable car ownership.

Residents in Hambleton, North Yorkshire, are the worst affected, with 32% of people at serious risk of being unable to afford to access essential goods and services.

With a quarter of English households already without access to a car and wholesale fuel costs set to rise, it is argued that more and more people will be trapped without urgent action and a long-term plan.

David Hall, Sustrans Regional Director for Yorkshire, said: "For many people across Yorkshire owning a car is a source of debt and poverty - and this is unlikely to change in the long term with fuel prices going up and up.

"For decades ministers have made decisions based on everyone having easy access to a car, forcing many of us into car ownership we can barely afford and leaving others stranded.

"We need a transport system that works for everyone - not one designed to best suit those who can afford a car."