Luton Borough Council to adopt 'engine idling' fines policy

Luton Borough Council said fines would be issued "as a last resort"

Drivers who leave their engines running while parked in a town could be fined up to £40 - after an authority agreed to introduce new powers.

Luton Borough Council said enforcement officers would patrol emissions "hot spots", particularly around the town centre and outside schools.

It said the fines would be issued "as a last resort" if drivers did not switch off their engines when approached.

Councillor Rob Roche said they had "a duty of care to the people of Luton".

Central Bedfordshire Council is also looking at adopting a similar initiative, with two committees discussing the idea of fixed penalty notices to combat the impact on air quality.

Mr Roche, portfolio holder for Sustainable Development and Highways, said Luton had "problem areas of emissions" and the authority was working towards its climate pledge to be a carbon neutral town by 2040.

The authority wants Luton to be carbon neutral by 2040

"We have a high density of cars in a small area in Luton," he said.

"If I look at the data, about 70% of people are doing journeys in cars for about three or four miles. I need to get that percentage down.

"We're not going to tell people to stop driving, we are going to ask them to change their behaviours."

• Fines considered for idling engines outside schools

• Town declares 'climate change emergency'

He said the council had adopted powers to give to neighbourhood teams to enforce "engine idling" fines, describing it as "a common sense approach to educate people".

The policy could be in place by the summer.

"What we want to see is engagement, it's not about charging someone £20 for engine idling," he said.

"It's working with businesses, taxis, buses, the public, saying we need to change, we owe it to our children to change."