Vehicles entering London from abroad will have their fines chased by an international debt recovery agency.

How is the London LEZ enforced?

The London Low Emission Zone is set to be enforced using a £54m setup involving Automatic Number Plate Reading Cameras.

Any vehicle entering or driving in the LEZ will be checked against the DVLA to check whether the vehicle has had the required work carried out.

What about cars, motorbikes, vans, buses, coaches and emergency vehicles?

Cars, motorbikes and small vans remain unaffected by the London LEZ in its current form.

Buses and coaches exceeding five tonnes, and lorries, motor caravans and horseboxes between 3.5 and 12 tonnes will be required to pay from 7th July 2008.

In the final part of the LEZ scheme, from the 4th October 2010, large vans and horseboxes between 1.206 and 3.5 tonnes, motor caravans between 2.5 and 3.5 tonnes, and minibuses below 5 tonnes will also be included, though with a half price daily charge of £100.

Ambulances and large hearses will also be included – the London Low Emissions Zone applies to all vehicles in the size bracket, regardless of whether they are for public or private usage.

Unsurprisingly, its something our members are beginning to grumble about, and it will only increase as more haulage vehicles are encompassed by the London Low Emissions Zone. For the moment though, it’s best to be aware of the restrictions so you can avoid the heavy fees levied for vehicles in the capital. My (slightly biased) advice to all concerned about the LEZ is to join a freight exchange, and swap loads to either make paying £200 a day worthwhile, or to take on work exclusively away from London to avoid the charges altogether.

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