Crayford Business owner considers selling up over Ulez

The owner of a business close to the Kent-London border said he could sell up because of the expansion of the Ultra Low Emission Zone (Ulez).

Since 29 August the owners of older vehicles have had to pay £12.50 a day to drive anywhere in Greater London.

Imran Khaled said his dry cleaning shop in Station Road, Dartford, had seen a 70% drop in business.

Mayor of London Sadiq Khan said the Ulez was vital to clean the city's air.

Mr Khaled's business, Crayford Quality Dry Cleaners, has a Dartford address but is just inside the London borough of Bexley.

He said many of his customers were from Kent as one side of his road sits in Kent and the other in London.

"In the past two weeks I can see a hell of a drop in my business... nearly 60, 70%," he said.

"The way it is going at the moment, I'm not sure I will be doing the same thing again. The first chance to sell it, I will sell it."

From 21 August anyone living in London and owning a non-compliant vehicle could apply for up to £2,000 scrappage, but neighbouring councils have called for the scheme to be extended to their residents.

The environmental charity Global Action Plan supports the Ulez, but spokesman Andrew Pendleton said only applying the scrappage scheme in London was "an unfair cut-off point", and called for the government to get involved.

He said: "It's time we think for both central government and the mayor to put politics aside and work together to make sure nobody loses out and we can secure clean air."

TfL has been contacted for comment.

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