Petrol and diesel drivers at risk of paying massive Clean Air Zone fees as councils rake in £381million

According to experts, local authorities have fined drivers £381million this year for entering a LEZ with a non-compliant vehicle.

There are currently 15 emissions schemes in the UK, with London being the biggest in operation. Four other local authorities are contemplating adding their own zone, including Nottingham and Leeds.

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Revenue from LEZ schemes primarily comes from penalties issued to drivers with local councils raising £381million in fines alone from its total £941million earnings.

Unsurprisingly, London has issued the most penalties to drivers with 97,706 fines given out monthly and generating approximately £3.96million. This makes up 32 per cent of the scheme's total income.

The Zero Emission Zone operating in Oxford had the highest proportion of penalties contributing to income, with a whopping 69 per cent, despite issuing only 1,016 PCNs monthly.

Meanwhile, Birmingham issued 55,727 PCNs monthly, bringing in £2.46million with 67 per cent of its income coming from PCNs.

Notably, Portsmouth handed out the fewest PCNs at 327 which was still 47 per cent of its income.

Newcastle and Bristol slapped drivers with 2,349 and 23,804 PCNs respectively, with money from PCNs contributing 54 per cent and 59 per cent of their total revenues respectively.

London councils make the most money from the Ultra Low Emission Zone scheme, which generates an average of £12.5million a month.

Birmingham ranks second with an average monthly income of £3.6million from its Clean Air Zone, totaling £125million since June 2021.

Bristol makes £2.2million per month from CAZ charges, while Sheffield and Bath earn £395,172 and £349,137 monthly respectively.

Glasgow has raked in £96,417 monthly from its LEZ, despite only being operational for a shorter period. Portsmouth brought in an average of £39,982 monthly through emission fines.

To be LEZ compliant, petrol cars and vans must adhere to Euro 4 emissions, while Euro 6 is the standard for diesel cars and vans and Euro VI for buses, coaches and HGVs.

Petrol cars that meet the standards are generally those first registered as new with the DVLA after 2005, although cars that meet the standards have been available since 2001.

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As for diesel cars, they meet the standards if first registered with the DVLA as new after September 2015. Electric cars and many hybrid models, however, are exempt from the fines.

Drivers of non-compliant vehicles operating inside the London Ulez are charged a daily fee of £12 but across the UK the fees can be as much as £60.