Ulez warning: Fears number plates being CLONED as criminals steal details to avoid Sadiq Khan's car tax
Ulez warning: Fears number plates being CLONED as criminals steal details to avoid Sadiq Khan's car tax
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An increasing number of motorists across the UK are mistakenly being slapped with Ulez fines amid an “enormous rise” in car-cloning, experts have warned.
London Mayor Sadiq Khan, who was returned to City Hall for a second term in 2021, introduced the £12.50 daily charge in an attempt to clear up the capital’s air.
Ulez currently covers all areas within the North and South Circular Roads but will be enforced across all 32 London Boroughs later this summer.
The levy has been heavily criticised and there is now growing concern about criminals cloning number plates to evade receiving a fine.
London Mayor Sadiq Khan is expected to seek a third term at City Hall in 2024
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Rio Hamilton, 69, from Devon, racked up almost £900 in fines despite providing evidence he was in Hampshire and Wiltshire when the two innocents allegedly took place.
Fran Abrams, 60, from Suffolk, told the Daily Mail that she was warned her VW Beetle could be taken away by bailiffs after her mistaken fines reached £559.
Transport for London (TfL) cancelled the charges facing Hamilton and Abrams.
Abrams also received a refund and was provided with compensation.
Motoring law solicitor Jeanette Miller, from Geoffrey Miller Solicitors, said: “Ulez triggered an enormous rise in car cloning.
“Close to 5,000 tickets have been cancelled in the last six months alone, and many more have been paid by innocent victims.
“The planned extension is set to add to that.”
She added: “The process is perhaps deliberately convoluted and littered with time limits that can end with there being no further recourse.”
Sadiq Khan faces legal action from several Tory-run councils over Ulez
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AA president Edmund King also claimed: “This is not just a London issue – it will affect innocent motorists across the country who will receive penalty charges for something they have not done.”
Khan, who seems likely to stand for a third successive mayoral election in 2024, is facing legal pressure from four Tory-run London councils and Surrey Council over Ulez.
The High Court recently ruled a judicial review could proceed on two out of the five grounds raised and a court date is issued for July.
Bexley, Bromley, Harrow, Hillingdon and Surrey councils issued Khan with a pre-action protocol letter back in January.
The former Tooting MP served as Transport Minister under Gordon Brown
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It alleged there was a failure to follow statutory procedures with Ulez and warned there was a failure to consider the potential inclusion of non-Londoners.
Khan has dismissed the concerns expressed by those supporting the legal challenge and instead claimed Londoners would prefer the money be “Invested in libraries”.
He said: “I think it’s important ofr these Conservative councillors who’ve got concerns … if they want to challenge this in the courts [they] are free to do so – [but] I think it’s a waste of taxpayers’ money.”
The former Tooting MP, who served as Transport Minister under Gordon Brown, added: “I welcome the fact that the vast majority of their grounds have been thrown out of the court.
“The two minor grounds will be heard by the court in a couple of months and TfL will be robustly defending the case.”