Portsmouth clean air charging zone scaled back

A clean air zone in Portsmouth where owners of high-polluting vehicles would be charged to drive is to be smaller than was originally planned.

The proposed clean air zone was going to cover all the Portsea Island area.

But Portsmouth City Council has now scaled back the zone to just the western side, excluding the council-owned Portsmouth International Port.

Buses and lorries not meeting emission standards would be charged £50 per day, while taxis would cost £10 per day.

Councillor Dave Ashmore said: "Reducing the size of it makes more sense and tackles the area where air quality is worse."

Under the plans, owners of older vehicles registered before 2006 or diesel vehicles registered before 2015 would be charged to drive into the zone.

Privately owned cars and motorbikes would not be affected, the authority said.

A network of 80 vehicle recognition cameras would be put up to enforce the charges.

Portsmouth City Council has been warned by the government that a congestion charge zone will be imposed if it fails to improve air quality.

Proposals will now be submitted by the council for government approval by 31 October.