BROWN TURNS HEAT ON 4x4s; Green theme but blows on drink and fags.

GAS-guzzling cars are to face rocketing car tax rates to cut pollution.

Chancellor Gordon Brown announced vehicles with the worst emissions would pay pounds 210 a year in one of his key budget pledges.

But Mr Brown also announced that the greenest cars would have their tax axed to reward them. Smaller cars are also set to pay a new lower rate of vehicle excise in a radical revamp of the scheme.

Smokers and drinkers were also hit with a penny on a pint and 9p on a packet of cigarettes.

The environment was a key element of Mr Brown's 10th Budget, which was greeted by a chorus of cheers and jeers.

But education, children, women and single parents were also important targets.

He pledged to carry on investing in public services, included the recruitment of 3,000 new science teachers and the creation of after-school science clubs.

Mr Brown said GCSE science results would be monitored alongside English and maths to ensure the money was being well spent.

Bu t despite announcing increased borrowing and spending, he said he would continue his famous prudence to ensure continued growth.

Mr Brown promised there would be "no return to boom and boost" under his watch and quoted a succession of interest rate statistics to back up his claim.

The Chancellor promised to increase investment in training for women and single parents and to close the pay gaps between genders.

He said 100,000 new homes would be built and pounds 970m would be spent on new shared equity schemes to help people on to the property ladder.

Mr Brown pledged new tax cuts and help for young families to invest and save their cash. And he said the changes would help cut child poverty in Britain.

The country's 700 Sure Start centres will increase to 3,500 over the next few years as part of the proposals.

A new fund will help homeowners and schools generate their own electricity.

A small number of low pollution cars will not pay car tax, rates will be cut for small cars, but rocket for large gas-guzzlers such as 4x4s.

He pledged increased discipline in public spending and wage settlements to insure inflation would remain settled.

The Chancellor said he expected exports to grow and told the House of Commons, Britain's economic growth was matched by only Canada and the US in the western world.

He said there were 170,000 more people in work than last year and that there would be 3m more people unemployed if Britain's economy matched the rest of the EU.

Smokers will be hammered and drinkers will have a penny on their pint after today's Budget.

Mr Brown announced there would by a 9p increase on a packet of 20 while bottles of wine will go up 4p.

Drinkers of whisky and cider were celebrating a freezing of prices, while Champagne and British sparkling wine also had duty levels kept the same.

Sport was a major beneficiary of Mr Brown's budget, with a promise of pounds 200m towards training young athletes for the 2012 Olympics.

He said it would be matched with pounds 100m sponsorship and pounds 300m lottery cash to create a pounds 600m fund for Olympic hopefuls.

Mr Brown announced plans for an annual national "schools Olympics" starting in Glasgow this year, while pounds 34m will go towards a new National Sports Foundation, to pump money into local sports facilities.

He said: "The 2012 Olympics will be a proud moment, and recent results in Melbourne and India show the outstanding sports talent in our country."

Mr Brown also said pounds 800m would go towards supporting armed forces in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Mr Brown announced pounds 100m will be given to the police to more than double the number of community support officers from 6,000 to 16,000 so "there will neighbourhood policing in every community".

He also revealed all pensioners and disabled people will receive free bus travel from April 1.

Meanwhile, a pounds 1m charity fund for British citizens injured in terrorist attacks at home and abroad will be set up.

Mr Brown pledged state schools would match private school investment over the next five years.

In a huge investment in education, the Chancellor pledged a mas s ive pounds 3 4bn spending programme.

He said the cash would pay for new computer technology, sports facilities and more teachers to create an equal playing field with the private sector.

Mr Brown said his investment would create the first pounds 500,000 school budget, with the biggest and neediest secondaries enjoying the huge annual spending power.

He said all comprehensives would enjoy an annual investment of at least pounds 190,000 direct to the headteacher over the next two years.

Primary schools will also have their budgets boosted - headteachers will have at least pounds 44,000 to spend every year.

CAPTION(S):

BUDGET DAY: Gordon Brown on the way to the Commons today