More than 1,600 fines in Newcastle Clean Air Zone first month

More drivers were fined than paid the CAZ toll, the city council said

More than 1,600 drivers were fined for not paying Newcastle's Clean Air Zone (CAZ) charges during its first month.

Newcastle City Council said 1,476 journeys were paid for in the CAZ compared to 1,658 drivers who flouted the toll and were fined.

The penalty charge notices (PCNs) are issued to drivers bringing a non-compliant vehicles into the CAZ such as older buses and taxis.

The toll was introduced on 30 January in a bid to cut pollution.

Higher-polluting vehicles such as taxis, buses and HGVs are charged between £12.50 and £50 a day to go into the city centre.

Newcastle City Council said it had to act after a legal order was issued by government to reduce "illegal levels of air pollution caused by traffic".

Charges and fines do not apply to private cars, motorbikes or any vehicles that comply with national emissions standards.

'Temporary exemptions'

The amount of income generated by the CAZ in its first month was £54,327 including £41,975 in toll payments, £7,402 in paid fines, and £4,950 from discounted seven-day passes for taxi drivers, the council said.

However, transport bosses said there were likely to be changes which could see more vehicles charged and heavier fines levied over the coming months, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

Currently many vehicles are subject to temporary exemptions from tolls including drivers waiting to receive upgrade grants.

A spokesperson for the Newcastle and Gateshead Clean Air Zone said: "We are still in the early stages of implementation and it is not yet possible to provide robust data that will accurately reflect how the CAZ is performing.

"The information we have at this stage reflects the early operational and enforcement arrangements that are in place temporarily and, when these come to an end, we expect to see an impact on the data."