‘I received misplaced driving in London and it price me £800 because of Sadiq Khan’s ULEZ’

A pensioner from Norwich who received misplaced in London in the course of the rush hour was slapped wth ULEZ fines in extra of £800.

Roger Watts, 82, was on the way in which to Dorset when his sat nav directed him into the capital the place he spent hours making an attempt to get out of London.

By the time he lastly received himself out of town, he had price himself a fortune.

Roger stated: “I haven’t been in London since the 70s, so when I got lost, I just didn’t have the experience to get out.

“I ended up going by three ULEZ zones!”

The controversial Ultra Low Emissions Zone (ULEZ) scheme was introduced by the mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, to reduce air pollution in the capital.

It requires vehicles to meet certain emissions standards or pay a daily charge of £12.50 when driving within the zone.

Those that don’t pay face fines of up to £180.

Roger started his journey in Norwich, Norfolk in his 2009 plate Seat Altea, to collect a caravan in Dorset.

He explained his sat nav played up and took him through London. By the time he saw the ULEZ signs he was stuck in traffic and couldn’t get out.

In frustration, Roger stated what should have been a four-hour journey took nine hours and £300 worth of diesel.

Three weeks later he received a letter confirming the charges – which he has since tried appealing.

As he didn’t pay within the grace period, London Transport has increased his fines to £810 which he says he can’t afford.

Roger said: “I’ve been informed the fines will preserve going up, so it is not completed but.

“The only thing I can do is try and get some help, so I’ve been to Citizens Advice who have given me some contact details for a legal team.

“It’s very disturbing as I can not elevate the form of money wanted to pay and it is taking on a lot of my time making an attempt to kind this. However, I’m going to combat it to the tip – these huge firms assume nobody can contact them – however they will should take this all the way in which.”

The scheme has been criticised by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, as well as opposition Keir Starmer, both saying the scheme will hit families hard.

Christina Calderato, TfL’s director of strategy and policy, said: “The ULEZ is vital in tackling the triple threats of air pollution, the climate emergency and congestion, and will ensure millions more people can breathe cleaner air.

“Thousands die prematurely every year because of poisonous air pollution and it causes kids to develop up with stunted lungs and will increase the danger of dementia in older individuals.

“Those outside the London boundary will also benefit, with drivers outside of the capital shifting to cleaner vehicles that meet the standards. This includes people living and working near Heathrow, which has some of the capital’s most toxic air.”