Anger over Lamborghini 'flight'

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A green campaign group has expressed its anger over reports that a car owner flew his £190,000 Lamborghini from Qatar to London for a service.

Reports have suggested the 6,500-mile round trip for the two-door, Murcielago LP640 model would have cost its owner more than £20,000.

Friends of the Earth said the flight was "taking climate-wrecking behaviour to new heights".

Lamborghini Club UK accused green campaigners of over-reacting.

Qatar Airways has confirmed the vehicle, which is the type driven by Batman in current blockbuster the Dark Knight, was flown out of the country on Monday.

Friends of the Earth Transport campaigner Tony Bosworth said: "With rising fuel costs and concern about climate change, most people are likely to find this type of wasteful and damaging activity outrageous.

"The pollution from driving a Lamborghini is bad enough, but flying one thousands of miles for a service is taking climate-wrecking behaviour to new heights."Lamborghini Murcielago LP640

However, a Lamborghini UK spokeswoman denied the car was serviced by any of its authorised dealers in the UK.

Juliet Jarvis said: "With a network of 114 dealers around the world, everywhere we sell cars, we make sure there is no need to take them out of the local area to service them.

"However we are aware, in line with lifestyles of our clients worldwide, they may decide to transport their car to other countries when they are required for short periods or on holiday.

"Should that happen, we will provide service support."

David Price, of Lamborghini Club UK, said a car with similar black and gold paintwork to one pictured in a national newspaper in front of a Qatar Airways plane, had been seen around London.

But he added he did not believe Friends of the Earth's argument was "relevant to anything".

"If someone owns something and wants to do something with it, what does it matter?" he said.

"If [the owner] wants to hire a plane and service it, it's his business. There are far more serious things to concern ourselves with."