I have to sell my home after being fined while driving into Clean Air Zone without realising – it’s a joke
A DRIVER fears he will have to sell his home after he was fined for driving into a Clean Air Zone without realising.
Henry Franklin, 36, from Bristol, believed his motor complied with council rules when he drove into the city’s CAZ area up to 30 times last month.
But now he faces fines of over £4,000 – as well as the cost of taking fuel-guzzling detours to avoid the CAZ or forking out for a pricey new car.
The overall cost could force the motorist to sell his home or move to a new job.
Henry, who did not reveal the make of his car, told BristolLive: “I live paycheque to paycheque. If all these fines are upheld, I’m looking at roughly £4,000 to pay.
“That will certainly mean I have to sell my car and quit my job. It will also likely mean I have to sell up and leave Bristol.”
He added: “I felt angry, frustrated and tired when I realised I was going to be fined.
“This new system is confusing for a number of reasons. I can’t fathom why they’ve chosen the area they have for the CAZ, other than to generate lots of fines.”
Most read in The Sun
Henry slammed the council for only sending out his fines after the six-day grace period had expired, adding that the “far longer” route he has been forced to take is worse for the environment.
He said: “I felt frustrated because I bought a new car to get to a new job and despite my best efforts, the council has designed a system that is difficult to understand.
“I hasten to add, though, that I’ve appealed every PCN I’ve had so far, but the council hasn’t yet acted on them.”
Bristol City Council said that it is reviewing the case and Henry’s appeals.
It comes after a driver set to be charged £12.50 a day under new Clean Air Zone rules revealed how he got his revenge on jobsworth road bosses.
Engin Coban, 48, from London, now walks around with a registration plate strapped to his back, deliberately tricking them into issuing fines.
He hopes that that the fake fines issued by the plate will overwhelm the system, forcing bosses to shut it down.
What is a Clean Air Zone - and is there one near you?
A CLEAN Air Zone is an area found in several UK cities where you have to pay a charge to drive a polluting vehicle.
The types of cars liable to be charged varies from city, but petrol and diesel motors are often covered.
Drivers who fail to pay the charge before entering the Clean Air Zone could be slapped with a costly fine.
Electric, hydrogen and most hybrid cars are exempt from the charges.
Clean Air Zones can currently be found in these UK Cities:
- Bath
- Birmingham
- Bradford
- Bristol
- Derby
- London
- Manchester
- Leeds
- Leicester
- Newcastle
- Nottingham
- Portsmouth
- Sheffield
- Southampton