New £200 charge for polluting lorries to enter London

Lorries travelling into London could now be charged £200 per day after the city launched its Low Emission Zone this week.

The Low Emission Zone is the first of its kind in the UK, and aims to reduce air pollution in central London.

The scheme means that lorries weighing more than 12 tonnes will now have to meet Euro III emissions standards to avoid the charge, which is applicable 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Failure to pay the charge results in a £1,000 fine.

Lorries between 3.5 and 12 tonnes, as well as coaches and buses, will be included in the scheme from 7th July this year.

“Thousands of Londoners suffer ill-health from pollution released by traffic fumes and seven out of ten Londoners are concerned about the impact of air pollution,” said Ken Livingstone, Mayor of London. “This is why we are launching the UK’s first Low Emission Zone.”

The Green Party has welcomed the move, but says that more needs to be done to tackle London’s air pollution.

Darren Johnson, Green Party member of the London Assembly, said: We need traffic reduction and hybrid engines for all London buses and taxis. The Government can’t be trusted to look after the health of Londoners, which is why we need the London Mayor to take independent action.”

Vehicles entering London will be monitored by camera, and checked up against the DVLA database. Non-British vehicles will have to register with Transport for London to avoid the charge.

The first day of the new scheme saw 22,000 vehicles over 12 tonnes enter the charge zone, 1,600 of which were below the required standards.

28 days have been given to fleet managers to replace failing vehicles or fit emission reducing technology before the charges kick in.