Commuters snub public transport

The majority of commuters in England and Wales refuse to switch to public transport, according to official figures compiled from the latest Census.

The national survey reveals more than 13 million of the 23.6 million working adults drove a car or van to work, compared with only 3.5 million travelling by rail, bus or taxi. Only three million walked or used a bike.

The survey also reveals one in eight people moved home in the 12 months before Census day in 2001, with a fifth of people in some inner London boroughs changing address.

For the first time since the first Census was conducted in 1801, statistics were gathered showing almost 80,000 gay couples are living together. The city of Brighton and Hove was shown to have the highest percentage of same-sex households.