Information from the Guardian, 27 May, Paul Brown.

Official figures showing sharp increases in gases responsible for climate change from air and freight transport were removed from the Office of National Statistics (ONS) report on the environment last week after pressure from the Department for Transport.

In a week when Tony Blair was insisting the issue of climate change was "very, very critical" and Margaret Beckett, the environment secretary, claimed the UK was a world leader in reducing emissions, official statistics would have shown an 85% increase in pollutants from the airline industry and 59% for freight transport since 1990.

Instead, the announcement was withdrawn and another substituted which did not mention transport emissions at all.

ONS officials were said to have been "livid" at the transport department's intervention. A footnote on all ONS releases says: "National Statistics are produced ... free from any political interference."

Fastest-growing emitter

The original unpublished release has been passed to the Guardian. Headlined "Rise in greenhouse gas emissions from transport", it says that while overall emissions dropped 10% between 1990 and 2002, the increase from the transport sector as a whole was 50%.

The largest increase of 85% was from air transport, and even this figure would have risen to over 100% but for the slump in air travel as a result of the attacks on the World Trade Centre, the report said. The road freight industry has also increased emissions by 59%, according to the statistics.

Both sets of figures reveal the government's most vulnerable areas on climate change policy. It is being heavily criticised by environment groups for its proposed building of new runways, expansion of regional airports and failure to shift sufficient freight onto the railways.

The draft of the report containing the transport emissions figures were sent for comment to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and the transport department. Senior officials at the environment department described the rapidly rising emissions "as somewhat sensitive" and prepared a briefing paper for ministers to field expected hostile questions by journalists. Officials at the Department for Transport actively attempted to stop publication of the release.

Perry Francis, the statistician who compiled the figures at the ONS, said yesterday that transport department officials objected to the form in which the figures were presented. "I was told the Department for Transport did not think it was appropriate to publish them, they spoke to me several times, and in the end I withdraw the report and substituted another which did not mention transport at all."

Mr Francis added: "I would not say I was subject to improper pressure. I just decided I would withdraw it. (!!!)"

His new report published last Friday received no press coverage. However, he has placed the statistics on the ONS website "for the record."

Yesterday the Department for Transport denied its intervention had been made for political reasons, and stressed there was no ministerial involvement. A spokesman said there had been differences between the way the department compiled its statistics, and the ONS methods. However, there was no suggestion that the ONS figures were inaccurate.

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