The UK needs to take its “foot off the gas” as it is a risk for the country to rely on it, according to a new report.

Green group Friends of the Earth (FoE) suggests we need to focus on developing clean energy, using the country’s potential for wind, wave and solar power.

The news comes after Energy Secretary Ed Davey launched a ‘second dash for gas’, when he said new gas power stations built before 2015 will not have to cut their carbon emissions before 2045. FoE suggests this could lead to the UK building more gas power generating capacity than it needs.

Andy Atkins, Executive Director of the group said: “The report clearly and compellingly shows that continuing to depend on gas could involve serious risks. We would remain reliant on imported gas and vulnerable to geopolitical problems – unless we go down the risky road of developing shale gas with its potentially huge local environmental impacts. We would remain exposed to the volatility of international gas prices, which have driven up gas bills by 90% in recent years. And we would face a much tougher task trying to meet our emissions targets.”

He suggested a shift to clean British energy will help tackle climate change, energy bills and create thousands of jobs across the UK.