Sadiq Khan red-faced as ULEZ fiasco means drivers will be refunded for fines

Motorists wrongly fined by vandalised ULEZ cameras are to have their charges annulled, Transport for London (TfL) has confirmed.

There have been a spate of vigilante vandalisms to cameras since the controversial policy was introduced in London in 2020.

In Chingford, Essex, vigilantes took it upon themselves to turn the cameras round to face roads outside of ULEZ’s remit, meaning that drivers who had not entered the ULEZ zone were left with charges of up to £12.50 a day.

But after appealing online and to the authorities, motorists who were wrongly charged will now have the charges rescinded.

Conservative London Assembly member Emma Best said that "dozens" of residents had reached out to her after being fined.

Best drew attention to locals' inability to appeal the false fines - and issued a scathing attack on TfL's charging systems, labelling the situation "absolutely ridiculous".

She said: "TfL have continually shown that they have completely lost control of the administration of fees and fines, and are not even able to correctly identify the zone.

"Dozens of residents contacted me after being fined for driving outside the zone and subsequently having their appeals rejected by TfL.

The controversial policy, introduced to vehicle emissions in the capital, has been besieged by protest and activism since its inception.

TfL have said that its staff have been "subjected to unacceptable abuse and intimidation" by individuals 'protesting' the scheme including having "eggs and white spirit" thrown at them.

According to documents for TfL's Safety, Sustainability and Human Resources Panel, the organisation said: "Confrontations associated with the Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) still feature highly in Quarter 1 [of 2024/25]. With incidents including an assault, eggs and white spirit thrown, a car kicked, and vehicles blocked in, as well as faulty cameras stolen after a confrontation.

"We continue to work with our supply chain, the MPS [Metropolitan Police Service] and the wider Greater London Authority (GLA) Group to identify ways of reducing these incidents as well as undertaking training and briefing sessions on reducing conflict and conflict resolution."

Speaking of the abuse, a spokesperson for TFL said: “It is a sad fact that we have been forced to deploy security staff to protect our contractors installing or repairing ULEZ cameras. A number of security staff have been subjected to unacceptable abuse and intimidation while carrying out their duties.

"For safety reasons, they are advised to record any issues on body-worn cameras to help deescalate conflict and if necessary, record evidence for police investigations. Vandalism is unacceptable and all incidents on our network are reported to the police for investigation.

"Criminal damage to ULEZ cameras or vehicles puts the perpetrators at risk of prosecution and injury, while simultaneously risking the safety of the public. Those trying to disrupt a scheme that is helping millions of Londoners breathe cleaner air will face the consequences of their actions through the courts."