A man claims he has been forced to pay £3,000 in fines from a controversial Clean Air Zone in debts issued to his father, who recently passed away.
Gary Davies said he had been slapped with the huge £3,000 cost in fines incurred by his late father from Birmingham’s Clean Air Zone.
He explained that he was unable to convince Birmingham City Council that his father had died, adding that he would be taking legal action.
The 52-year-old said trying to speak with someone from the council was like “talking to a brick wall” when trying to overturn the decision.
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The man said trying to speak to Birmingham City Council was like ‘talking to a brick wall’
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Davies, who works as a roofer, explained that he had to pay the large fee when enforcement agents clamped two vehicles outside his home.
He told the BBC that he had supplied a copy of his father’s death certificate to the council, but claims he has not yet been reimbursed for the £3,000 charge.
The bereaved man from Tamworth added: “I was on the phone for two-and-a-half hours one day trying to speak to somebody.
“It makes you feel like you’re an absolute loser because nobody will listen to you,” the BBC reported.
The Birmingham Clean Air Zone is operational 24 hours a day, 265 days a year. More than 300 road signs are in place across the region to warn drivers that they are travelling towards the boundary or that they are inside the charging area.
The Clean Air Zone, which was launched on June 1, 2021, charges non-compliant cars, vans and taxis £8 per day, while coaches, buses and HGVs pay £50 daily.
If drivers do not pay the penalty, they will be fined £120, although this can be cut to £60 if paid within 14 days. Vehicles are tracked with Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) cameras situated around the city.
Vehicles are expected to meet Euro 6 emissions if they have a diesel engine, while petrol vehicles need to have a Euro 4 engine or better.
Petrol and diesel hybrids should meet the relevant emissions standards, while battery electric and hydrogen fuel cell vehicles are exempt from paying the charge.
Councillor Majid Mahmood, cabinet member for environment and transport, confirmed that Birmingham City Council follows a standard enforcement process for penalty charge notices.
The Labour councillor for Bromford and Hodge Hill added: “A penalty charge notice is sent to the address of a registered keeper of a vehicle based on the information held by the DVLA at the point it is issued.
“The opportunities for challenge are very clearly set out at each stage of the process so that anyone issued with a penalty charge notice understands how they can pay or challenge it.”
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The Birmingham Clean Air Zone was launched in 2021
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Research from January outlined that the Clean Air Zone had made a “significant contribution” to slashing emissions across the region.
It reported that Moor Street Queensway and the A38 in the city centre had seen positive progress in improving air quality and could soon be in accordance with the legal limit.
GB News has contacted Birmingham City Council for a comment.
