Mayor of London Sadiq Khan: ‘I refuse to stand back as thousands of Londoners breathe in air so filthy it shortens life expectancy, harms our lungs and worsens chronic illness’

DRIVERS of highly-polluting vehicles will have to pay an extra charge to drive in the borough from October 2021.

Mayor of London Sadiq Khan announced the extension of the so-called “ultra-low emission zone” or ULEZ on Monday. The new scheme will see drivers of the most polluting vehicles, including motorbikes and buses, charged a daily £12.50 tariff on top of the congestion charge.

The new ULEZ will cover an area 18 times larger than the zone which comes into place next year.

Mr Khan said: “Air pollution is a national health crisis. I refuse to stand back as thousands of Londoners breathe in air so filthy it shortens life expectancy, harms our lungs and worsens chronic illness.”