'We've lost 30% of customers since Ulez expanded'

Maria Melucci (left) has already reduced the size of her team at Melucci's

Businesses in south-east London say the expansion of the Ultra Low Emission Zone (Ulez) has led to a fall in trade.

Figures obtained by the BBC show more than 400,000 drivers in Kent, Surrey and Sussex have been fined for not paying the £12.50 daily charge for older, more polluting vehicles since it expanded in August 2023.

Maria Melucci, who runs an Italian deli in Bexley village, said: "All the businesses in the area are suffering, every single one of them, and some are closing down because of it."

Transport for London (TfL) has made £237m from fines and charges since the start of 2024 but says Ulez is not about making money, and any income generated is reinvested back into the network.

Businesses in Bexley village say customer numbers are down since August 2023

In February, it was revealed that London's drivers had paid more than £70m in penalty charge notices from Ulez in six years.

Ms Melucci, who set up Melucci's in 2005, said: "Customers used to come regularly every single week.

"Now they come maybe once a year, once every six months, because coming into Ulez becomes less and less attractive.

"If you're a customer coming from Dartford in Kent and you have the choice of coming to Bexley and spending £12.50 plus the car parking charges, which is nearly £15, to buy a cup of coffee, or you can go to Bluewater with free car parking and no Ulez, what would you do?

"It's a no-brainer."

Melucci's was established in 2005

Nitrogen dioxide levels in outer London fell nearly 5% in the year after expansion, City Hall figures suggest.

Jemima Hartshorn from Mums for Lungs, which campaigns for cleaner air, said children are worst affected by toxic air and that diesel vehicles "need to be phased out".

She said: "The starting point for pollution in that area of London was so incredibly high that, even with this, we are all still breathing air that is toxic, and that stunts children's lungs, that exacerbates asthma."

Christina Calderato, TfL's director of strategy, said: "The Ulez expanded London-wide to tackle the triple challenges of air pollution, the climate emergency and traffic congestion, bringing cleaner air to five million more Londoners.

"Visitor footfall in outer London increased by almost 2% in the year after the London-wide Ulez expansion.

"The Ulez is not about making money. The expanded Ulez has led to cleaner air while generating ever smaller net revenues, as has been the case with the previous expansion to inner London where people switched to greener vehicles.

"Any income generated from the Ulez is being reinvested back into the public transport network, including improving bus routes in outer London."