Millions of motorists are facing punitive increases in the cost of parking their cars as councils across the country plan new green levies.
The new charges are hitting not only the drivers of 4x4s and sports cars, but in many cases ordinary family saloons as well.
At least a dozen councils have either introduced or are considering introducing sliding charges aimed at penalising the owners of ‘environmentally unfriendly’ cars with London being the worst affected. Kensington has pushed up the cost of a 12-month permit on a car emitting more than 225 grams per kilometre from £115 to £140 while Lambeth has risen from £60 to £200.
While the biggest rises are being imposed on the cars with the highest CO2 emissions, over 225 g/km, owners of more modest models are also facing higher charges.
For example anyone in Waltham Forest, currently run by a Labour-Liberal Democrat coalition, has seen the cost of their parking permit double from £45 to £90, if their car emits more than 186 grams of CO2 per kilometre. That would hit ordinary family cars from the Nissan Qashqai to some Ford Mondeos and even a Renault Scenic 1.6. It has also doubled the cost of a permit for older cars - those registered before 2001, with a 2.0 litre engine.
The move is being seen as a fresh blow to millions of motorists who are already facing the prospect of sharp increases in the cost of their tax disc from March next year.
When will families ever get a break?
Jackie Violet - Female First