Drivers owe £2.6m in clean air fines - council

Drivers and companies falling foul of a council's clean air zone owe £2.6m in unpaid fines, according to a new report.

Newcastle and Gateshead councils made £3.4m through its pollution charging zone in 2023/24, the first year of its operation.

But £2.6m is still owed in unpaid fines over the same period, with officials finding it difficult to pursue offenders, who could "rack up a significant amount of fines in a short period of time".

Newcastle City Council transport boss, Pamela Holmes, said that some drivers were unaware they had been fined and the council was working to tackle the problem.

Ms Holmes told the council's finance and budget monitoring scrutiny committee, that dealing with the fines was "very different to a parking ticket".

"Someone could come into the zone and rack up quite a significant amount of fines in a very short period of time," she added.

Urging those with unpaid fines to contact them for support, a spokesman for Newcastle and Gateshead CAZ said the majority of fines were paid at an early stage, but that some remained outstanding "despite repeated notifications being issued".

Some older and higher polluting taxis, buses, coaches, lorries, and vans have been subject to daily tolls to enter Newcastle's city centre since 2023, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

All private cars are exempt from the charges.

The implementation of the CAZ means daily tolls of either £12.50 or £50 are levied on some vehicles that do not meet emission standards.

The fine for an unpaid toll is £120, reduced to £60 if paid within 14 days, plus the original toll and a further £60 if the penalty charge notice is not paid within 28 days.

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