Portsmouth council approves clean air charge plan

Drivers of older lorries, taxis and buses are set to be charged to enter Portsmouth in a bid to tackle the city's poor air quality.

Vehicles which are not compliant will have to pay up to £20 a day to enter the Portsea Island area.

The proposal was agreed by the city council's cabinet on Monday.

If the measures fail to bring pollution levels down enough, a clean air zone charging all drivers in the city will be introduced.

Under the plans, petrol vehicles registered prior to 2006 and diesel cars from before 2015 would be charged, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

The council believes the zone, which excludes private motorists, will solve the city's pollution problem alongside a range of other plans.

Other measures, including encouraging children to walk to school, installing electric charging points in taxi ranks and asking government a second time for cash to provide free bus passes are also being put forward.

A scheme to increase parking charges to put people off driving into the city has been dropped.

The council was given until October to prove to the government it is able to improve air quality to the same effect as a clean air zone.

The plans will now be submitted to the Department for Food and Rural Affairs.