THOUSANDS of drivers have been warned that they must pay a new £50 charge from today under a major rule change.
Motorists of non-compliant diesel vehicles need to pay between £12.50 and £50 every day they enter a major UK city.
Drivers are being warned of a major rule change that could cost them a £50 fineGETTY_HUB
Drivers of the worst-polluting lorries, buses and taxis will now be charged to enter Newcastle‘s Clean Air Zone.
Taxis and private hire vehicle drivers will be charged £12.50 per day if their vehicle doesn’t meet emissions standards.
And owners of buses, coaches and heavy goods vehicles that don’t meet emission standards will have to pay £50 a day to use their vehicles in the clean air zone.
The CAZ covers Newcastle city centre and routes over the Tyne, Swing, Redheugh and High-Level bridges.
To meet the emissions standards, vehicles must have a Euro 6 diesel or Euro 4 petrol engine.
These will be diesel vehicles registered after September 2015 and petrol vehicles registered after 2005.
However, charges will not apply to vehicles that comply with national emissions standards.
Newcastle City council said it had to act to reduce “illegal levels of air pollution caused by traffic”.
Leader of Newcastle City Council, Nick Kemp, said to the BBC: “Central government says we must impose a CAZ and we’re acting on the most polluting vehicles.
“Private cars are exempt but taxi drivers, HGV’s and buses could be liable to pay.
“It’s not about preventing people from coming into the city.
“It’s really about stopping unnecessary journeys through the city centre and ensuring we have better vehicles providing public service.”
Mr Kemp thinks the introduction of fines will have an impact on air quality and improve the “quality of life for residents and visitors.”