Sheffield clean air zone: Charity condemns 'frustrating' charge

Thornberry Animal Sanctuary had to pay a £50 clean air charge to take ponies Philomena and Chester to a fundraising event

A charity has hit out at Sheffield's clean air zone (CAZ) after being charged to travel to a fundraiser.

Thornberry Animal Sanctuary was forced to pay a £50 fee to transport two Shetland ponies to the city centre.

General manager Helen Connelly said the charge was "frustrating" and "demotivating".

Sheffield City Council introduced the CAZ in February in a bid to cut air pollution. The BBC has approached the council for comment.

Taxis, vans, motorhomes, buses, coaches and lorries which do not meet emissions standards are subject to charges of either £10 or £50 a day, depending on their size, to enter the city centre.

The animal sanctuary was charged after volunteers used a horse box, which is classed as a heavy goods vehicle, to take its ponies Chester and Philomena to the fundraising event on The Moor on Saturday.

Volunteers took the two ponies to a fundraising event to showcase the charity's work

The North Anston-based charity, which rescues and rehomes animals across South Yorkshire, receives no government funding and relies on donations to survive, Ms Connelly said.

"To start off on a minus, it's hard and a bit demotivating," she added.

"At a time where every penny counts, that £50 could do a lot for a charity."

Thornberry received £261 in donations at Saturday's fundraising event, which volunteers hold in Sheffield city centre about six times a year to showcase the charity's work.

Some councils which operate clean air zones, such as Bradford, offer exemptions to charities, but Sheffield does not.

Sheffield's CAZ runs 24 hours a day, 365 days a year in the city centre

On Monday, a South Yorkshire MP led a debate in Parliament about the future of clean air zones after more than 55,000 people signed a petition calling for local authorities to be stripped of powers to charge drivers.

Nick Fletcher, the MP for Don Valley, said such schemes amounted to "a tax on the working person" in "difficult" times.

"We all want clean air but I definitely think there are other ways this can be achieved," he added.

Sheffield's clean air zone was introduced following a legal directive from the government to bring nitrogen dioxide emissions within legal limits in the shortest possible time.

Its launch prompted an outcry from small businesses, with some warning the charges could threaten their survival.

Drivers paid £210,500 in charges in the first month of its operation. The council said this would be spent on projects to reduce air pollution, which it said contributed to 500 deaths a year in Sheffield.