Ulez: Chessington residents offered cash for parking spaces to avoid fee

Matthew Smith says someone put a leaflet through his door offering £100 to use a driveway

Residents of a charge-free road through London's expanded ultra low emission zone have told how they have been offered £100 a month to let people use their driveways to avoid charges.

Motorists travelling along Moor Lane which becomes Bridge Road in Chessington, south-west London, do not have to pay the charge.

However, surrounding streets will be part of the expanded Ulez zone.

Non-compliant vehicles will be charged £12.50 from Tuesday.

Turning off Bridge Road at any stage will result in entering the zone, meaning motorists must stay on the road all the way round a roundabout and go back the same way to avoid being charged.

Matthew Smith, who lives on Bridge Road, said: "A guy put a leaflet through the other day and he was basically saying that he lives down the road and it's going to cost X amount of money for him to park his car so he wanted to park here for £100 a month."

He said if he owned the driveway he would have been "very tempted" by the offer.

The town of Chessington, part of the London borough of Kingston-upon-Thames, will be included in the Ulez expansion but many surrounding areas will not be included in the charge, meaning Chessington will form something of a Ulez peninsula.

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Another resident, Vispi Irani, 68 told the PA News Agency he and other neighbours also received notes offering £100 for parking spaces.

Mr Irani said: "I think it's ridiculous.

"We don't have to pay it on the road where we live, but I'm planning on changing my car, so I won't have to pay it for the others.

"A chap came round and put notes through my and my neighbours' doors.

"He was offering £100 a month to let him park on our drive so he could get around paying the charge."

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