New government funding could lead to an even wider range of vehicles being fitted with carbon-reduction components and new fuel systems.

People in automotive jobs have already been tasked with greening the bus fleets of 26 local authorities across the UK with the money made available by the Clean Bus Technology Fund, but now the coalition has announced a further £5 million will be devoted to cutting road pollutants.

The cash comes from the Clean Vehicle Technology Fund and will allow councils in England to bid for state funding to continue making improvements to their fleets. This time, the money will not be restricted to buses and any vehicle that is predominantly used on local roads with poor air quality will be eligible for a mechanical upgrade.

Announcing the provision of the new fund, transport minister Baroness Kramer said: "We are raising the bar and making sure that the ongoing trend of improving air quality continues.

"This £5 million will mean less harmful exhaust fumes from buses, and other vehicles, in some of our most polluted urban areas. This funding will also secure jobs and growth in the industries delivering the technology."

The government stresses its main priority is to reduce pollutant emissions from older vehicles. Mechanics and engineers who have experience working with heavy duty vehicles that produce high concentrations of nitrogen oxides could be high demand.

According to the Department for Transport, the next step of the process will see local authorities receive a letter from the transport minister outlining the requirements for entering a bid for funds. The correspondence state that the deadline for applications to be considered for the funding will be Friday July 25th 2014.

This is the latest drive in a long-standing battle to update the UK's public sector vehicles and help cut emissions to bring them into line with long-term European air quality targets.