Diesel drivers to face city pollution tax ~ station of gear

High Court rules Government's air pollution strategy is failing with threat of diesel drivers being charged in cities

2016-11-03 16:44

Diesel car owners face charges for driving in a host of UK cities after the High Court ruled that the Government's current air pollution strategy is failing.

Plans are already in place to introduce six clean air zones by 2020 in Birmingham, Leeds, Southampton, Nottingham and Derby but this is not enough to hit EU air pollution targets according to judges.

The High Court concluded ministers had knowingly based their air quality plan on forecasts that were too optimistic and had been warned that diesel motors emitted at least four times more NO2 in the real world than official figures from lab tests.

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It means a further 10 cities are now likely to be included under the toxicity tax with drivers potentially having to pay £10 a time to drive their diesels in the zones. Originally plans were just to target lorries, buses, taxis and vans but it's likely to extend to cars, too.

NO2 emissions are estimated to currently cause 40,000 premature deaths a year in the UK and Prime Minister Theresa May - after accepting the ruling that'd be handed down - said: "There is more to do and we will do it."

ClientEarth which launched the legal challenge back in 2011, said 37 out of 43 zones across the UK "remain in breach of legal limits" and successfully argued unlawful weight was given by the Government to "cost and political sensitivity" when drawing up a 2015 plan.

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The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) is now left with the task of drawing up new plans to replace those quashed by the High Court.

However, motoring groups warned against unfairly targeting consumers who had bought diesels in good faith. AA president Edmund King said: "It would be very disappointing for those families who had followed the 'dash for diesel' under the previous government."

What do you think about the problem of vehicle emissions in our towns and cities? Let us know in the comments section...

Joe Finnerty

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