A south Norfolk company is in the running for a national accolade in recognition of its work to reduce the country's CO2 car emissions.Liftshare.com, based in Attleborough, has been shortlisted in the Grass Roots Project category at this year's The Observer Ethical Awards.

A south Norfolk company is in the running for a national accolade in recognition of its work to reduce the country's CO2 car emissions.

Liftshare.com, based in Attleborough, has been shortlisted in the Grass Roots Project category at this year's The Observer Ethical Awards.

The company helps people organise car shares by allowing them to register a desired journey on its free website and matching them with drivers undertaking similar routes.

Its work is saving about 50,000 car trips a day. The ultimate aim is to raise the national average car occupancy from 1.6 to two people, which would cut the amount of harmful CO2 emitted from the country's cars by 20pc.

The website is popular with commuters within the UK, but during the recent chaos caused by the Icelandic volcanic ash cloud it was besieged by people from across Europe requesting help with lengthy journeys as the continents air industry ground to a halt.

Ali Clabburn, founder of liftshare.com, said: 'Being ethical is core to what we do - helping the environment, bringing communities together and increase accessibility.

'I'm therefore incredibly pleased to reach the shortlist in these awards and delighted to have my team's passion and commitment recognised by such a prestigious panel of judges.'

Now in their fifth year, The Observer Ethical Awards aim to pay tribute to those who have come up with innovative ways of solving ethical problems.

The judging panel includes managers from the country's leading eco firms, as well as celebrities including actor Colin Firth and television presenter Ben Fogle.

The winners will be announced next month.