110 Ulez-scrapped vehicles are donated to Ukraine

Vehicles that do not comply with London's Ultra Low Emissions Zone standards can be donated and sent to Ukraine

More than 100 vehicles have been donated to Ukraine under London's Ultra Low Emissions Zone (Ulez) scrappage scheme, City Hall has said.

Under the scheme, vehicles that do not meet emission standards can be sent to the war-torn country instead of being scrapped.

A convoy of 20 vehicles was delivered to Ukraine over the weekend, a City Hall spokesperson said.

British-Ukrainian Aid (BUAID), the charity delivering the vehicles, said they were "saving lives" and each one was "valued and valuable".

City Hall said 110 had been donated since the Ukraine initiative started on 15 March.

It said a further 13 vehicles were expected to arrive by the end of the week, taking the total number of vehicles delivered to 55.

BUAID said the vehicles were being used in areas including evacuation and medical emergencies.

“We remain enormously grateful for the support given to us by the mayors of London and Kyiv, and by our many partners, supporters and donors," a spokesperson for the charity said.

The vehicles are used for humanitarian purposes, the charity British-Ukrainian Aid said

Once Londoners are accepted to the Ulez scrappage scheme and donate their vehicles, BUAID ensures the logistics are organised, rules are followed, delivers the vehicles and makes sure they go to carefully matched recipients.

To be legally sent to Ukraine, each vehicle must serve humanitarian purposes, provide medical aid, or evacuate people to areas where medical assistance is available.

The recipients of the vehicles have included paramedics and non-governmental organisations.

Lucy Hayward-Speight, from Transport for London, said: “The scrappage scheme has provided support for people to make the green transition alongside the London-wide Ulez being introduced.

"As well as helping to clean up the capital’s toxic air, Londoners are also demonstrating their concern for others by choosing to provide vital aid for those in the most unimaginable circumstances in Ukraine."

William Godfrey Lewis has provided space on his farm for vehicles to be stored before they can be driven to Ukraine.

He said it was "moral calling" to help.

“My dad came to the UK from Ukraine during WW2," he said.

"When the war broke out, my family and I wanted to help in any way we could, so we got involved with different aid initiatives."