6,500 miles by air from Qatar to London

AN Arab sent his 190,000 pounds Lamborghini on a 6,500-mile round trip flight to London for an oil check, it was revealed on Friday.

The black and gold Murcielago LP640 left Qatar for Heathrow on Friday.

In Britain it cleared customs and was driven on the back of a lorry to specialist mechanics in the capital. The car - as driven by Batman in The Dark Knight - was returned to the Middle Eastern country on Monday.

On top of the 20,000 pounds bill for transporting the Lamborghini, the owner would have paid 3,552 pounds to have it serviced by an approved dealer. The decision to fly the vehicle 3,250 miles to London provoked the ire of environmentalists today.

Jenny Evans, of pressure group Plane Stupid, said: "I am horrified ... It is another example of how rich people exploit and pollute the planet." But car enthusiast David Price, of Lamborghini Club UK, insisted owners had every right to service their vehicles as they saw fit. A spokeswoman for Lamborghini said that although the Italian brand has a network of authorised dealers around the globe, there was 'kudos' in having a car serviced in London.