Man, 80, threatened with £1,000 fine after storing donated Ulez cars for Ukraine - 'Ludicrous!'
More than 100 scrapped vehicles have already been sent to Ukraine
Nick Turpin/TFL/PA Wire
An 80-year-old man collecting vehicles to be donated to Ukraine as part of the Transport for London's scrappage scheme may be forced to pay a £1,000 fine following complaints from local residents.
William Lewis uses his field in Dorking, Surrey Hills, to allow British-Ukrainian Aid (BUA) to store donated vehicles collected from those in London looking to scrap their polluting vehicles.
Drivers looking to ditch their older petrol and diesel vehicles can choose to donate them to Ukraine and receive a grant payment from Transport for London if they are suitable.
British-Ukrainian Aid supports the transfer of vehicles to Ukraine for humanitarian purposes, with drivers in the capital still receiving at least £2,000 for their cars.
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Drivers can still receive £2,000 from TfL for donating their polluting cars to Ukraine
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The vehicles are used in Ukraine to transport injured people to hospitals and provide other aid for Ukrainians in the ongoing war effort against Russia.
However, Mr Lewis has been warned that he faces a £1,000 fine for breaking planning permission laws by allowing the land to be used to store the vehicles, The Telegraph reported.
In response to the legal notice, the 80-year-old has branded Mole Valley District Council "ludicrous", while Transport for London has praised Lewis for his "incredible contribution".
The eligible vehicles are being kept in the field while the BUA waits for drivers to transport them to Ukraine.
Lewis claimed he was sent a letter on July 3, saying he would be hit with a £1,000 fine unless he told the council how he was using the field to store cars for the donation scheme.
He added that the council asked that he apply for planning permission for land use change, as well as ensuring the field was cleared by the end of August, which he said he couldn't guarantee.
Councillor Margaret Cooksey, cabinet member for planning at Mole Valley, said the council had received "several complaints" from residents about the cars being stored in the field.
She told The Telegraph: "Given that the land is designated for agricultural use and lies within an Area of Great Landscape Value, an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, and the Metropolitan Green Belt, this storage represents a material change in land use.
"As such, planning permission is required. Failure to provide the requested notice may result in a £1,000 fine."
London Mayor Sadiq Khan previously said he would continue to do all he can to support Ukraine in their war effort against Russia and clean the air in the capital by getting rid of polluting vehicles.
Since the outbreak of the war, British-Ukrainian Aid donated over 435 ambulances and evacuation vehicles, which does not include those driven to Ukraine as part of the Ulez scrappage scheme.
A TfL spokesperson said: "We value the incredible contribution Mr Lewis has made and will be in touch with him about this situation.
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Mole Valley District Council threatened the man with a £1,000 fine
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"Vehicles donated to Ukraine as part of the scrappage scheme are stored at a number of locations before being driven to Ukraine to help with the humanitarian effort.
"We will continue to work with British-Ukrainian Aid to support the ongoing operation of the scheme."