MOTORISTS face rush-hour bans and pollution taxes in up to 17 towns and cities across the UK as the Government vows to clean up the ‘dirtiest roads’ in Britain.
Environment Secretary Michael Gove will pave the way for local authorities to slap yet more tax on drivers as part of his radical blueprint.
His plans reveal that air pollution needs to be addressed on 81 roads – 33 of which are outside London such as the A360 in Sheffield or A35 in Southampton.
Nitrogen dioxide emissions along each of them breach the legal limit.
Mr Gove will insist that councils first exhaust all other possible options to improve air quality, such as tackling chronic congestion.
But the Cabinet Minister will admit that if these measures fail to bring down pollution, councils will be able to “consider restrictions on polluting vehicles” to meet legal emission targets.
“This could mean preventing polluting vehicles using some of these roads at certain times of the day or introducing charging,” he will say.
The Government insisted that councils would have to scrap the charges once air quality improves. And insiders pointed out the plans were in stark contrast to the blanket ‘Clean Air Zones’ considered by former Environment Secretary Andrea Leadsom in May.
Read more at The Sun
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