If you thought Britain had a drinking problem, think again. Swedish customs have confiscated so much contraband booze that the government is now making biogas out of it.In 2006 the Swedish authorities seized over 700,000 litres of illegal alcohol – enough to run 1000 biogas buses and even a gas-powered train.This isn't the first example of Swedish ingenuity. The biofuel trains and buses can also be run off methane taken from stewed cow entrails. Despite this costing more than 20 per cent more than standard diesel, the Swedes claim that the environmental benefits are worth it. One cow will run a train for 2.5 miles. And it's not just public transport, either. Bio-powered cars account for up to 80 per cent of Saab's sales in its home country – a total of over 11,000 cars in 2006. By contrast, only 150 bio-powered Saabs were sold in the UK in 2006. Even with ethanol accounting for five per cent of the fuel going into your car by 2008, Britain's transport system looks pretty poisonous next to that of the uber-environmental Swedes.Perhaps we should all start drinking more.
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