PEOPLE living in Malvern have come bottom of another environmentally friendly report.

A new publication has found the town's people leave the biggest ecological footprint in the West Midlands. The footprint is calculated according to the amount of water, energy, food and materials used by the average person in a particular area over a year.

Meanwhile, Worcester once again fares better than its neighbour according to the report called Eco-Budget West Midlands - Counting Consumption Footprint, commissioned by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF). It examines the way that resources are used as well as the waste produced by UK local authorities.

The annual footprint produced by the average Malvern resident is 5.8 hectares. The average for the West Midlands is 5.36 hectares while for Worcester it is 5.41 hectares.

Last month the Worcester News revealed that another study had found households in Malvern were the worst in the West Midlands for carbon dioxide emissions, while Worcester households produced the least in the whole region.

One reason why Malvern has a larger footprint is because its residents have higher disposable incomes, which means more money to spend on energy and fuel, foreign travel and food.

Malcolm Victory, chairman of the Malvern Green Group, said everyone could help in reducing the impact on the environment by doing things like switching off televisions and lights when not using them.

"Every small thing makes a big difference," he said. "We have a very short time to correct the imbalance and the way we are going we are not going to make it."

A spokeswoman for Malvern Hills District Council said: "Malvern Hills District Council is committed to a sustainable future for the district.

"The soon-to-be adopted Local Plan focuses new development on brownfield sites, in sustainable settlements where a range of services and facilities exist.

"This strategy, coupled with the council's actions supporting improved local transport infrastructure, will reduce the need to travel and reliance upon the private car. Major efforts have been made by the council with respect to promoting recycling, waste minimisation and improving the quality of the natural and built environment."

l The Ecological Footprint calculates how much productive land and sea is needed to provide the energy, food and materials we use in our everyday lives, and how much land is required to absorb our waste. It also calculates the emissions generated from the oil, coal and gas we burn, and determines how much land is required to absorb them.