Bath: Clean Air Zone hands £7m to council from fines

Bath was the first city outside London to introduce a Clean Air Zone

A city's clean air zone has made a council more than £7m in fines since it was rolled out.

More than 174,000 fines were handed to drivers within Bath's Clean Air Zone from March 2021 and October 2023, a Freedom of Information request said.

Bath was the first city in the UK after London to introduce a clean air zone, charging drivers up to £100 daily.

Bath and North East Somerset Council said it was launched to improve air quality in the shortest possible time.

Of the 174,755 total fines sent to drives using a non-compliant vehicle, most were repeat fines to people who had already been charged before, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS).

Cars and other vehicles such as HGVs, vans, buses, coaches and minibuses have to pay a daily charge of between £9 and £100 to enter the zone.

Fines since the zone was introduced have totalled £7,102,980.

The Clean Air Zone came into force in March 2021

Bath and North East Somerset Council said: "The Bath Clean Air Zone was introduced on 15 March 2021 following a government directive to take steps to improve air quality in the shortest possible time.

"One means of meeting this directive is through the introduction of a charging Clean Air Zone which sees higher polluting vehicles - thus those contributing the most towards poor air quality - to pay a daily charge of either between £9 and £100 for their use within the zone."

The Freedom of Information request also revealed just 2% of drivers who have travelled through the zone since its launch has been fined.

Since the scheme's introduction, the council has also aimed to tackle air quality in the city by rolling out emissions-based prices in council car parks.

This sees the owners of more polluting vehicles pay more to park.

The council is planning to roll out emissions-based pricing to Keynsham, Midsomer Norton, Radstock, and on-street parking in Bath.