Countdown to Edinburgh's Low Emission Zone: Here's what you will pay if you ignore the ban

Anyone repeatedly ignoring Edinburgh’s ban on the worst-polluting vehicles entering the heart of the Capital after the Low Emission Zone comes into force on Saturday, June 1, faces having to pay hundreds of pounds in penalties.

The LEZ requires vehicles to meet strict exhaust emission standards if they are to go into a 1.2 square mile area of the city centre. The fines for vehicles that enter the zone when they do not meet the standard are set at £60 for first offence, though that is cut to £30 if the fine is paid within 30 days.

The Low Emission Zone comes into force on Saturday, June 1. | TSPL

However, if motorists do it again within a 90-day period, the penalty doubles - and then doubles again each time, up to a maximum of £480 for cars and light commercial vehicles and £960 for heavy duty vehicles.

Unlike London’s Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) and the Clean Air Zones in other cities south of the border, Edinburgh’s LEZ is not an area where there is a charge to enter, but a zone from which non-compliant vehicles are prohibited and face penalties if they ignore that ban.

Edinburgh council says it has no projected figures of how much it expects to raise from fines - it says its goal is 100 per cent compliance, which would mean us issuing no fines. However, Glasgow’s LEZ, which has been operating for almost a year, is said already to have generated £3.5 million in fines.

Enforcement of Edinburgh’s LEZ will involve Automatic Number Plate Recognition cameras in undisclosed locations or touring the streets. And it will begin at “one minute after midnight” on Saturday.

Edinburgh Low Emission Zone: All you need to know about Capital's ban on worst polluting vehicles