Elderly driver blasts new London ULEZ fees which have ‘hit him in the pocket’

An elderly disabled driver has revealed Sadiq Khan’s new Ultra Low Emissions Zone (ULEZ) fees have had a major impact on his family. John North, a resident of rural Harmondsworth in the borough of Hillingdon claimed the new changes have hit him ‘in the pocket’. His assessment comes just a week after the new ULEZ expansion was rolled out covering Greater London regions as far as Bromley and Harrow. Mr North claimed his family tried to ditch their vehicle but realised they couldn’t live without it. However, he reveals his monthly costs are set to double after he was forced to ditch his old diesel vehicle. John North has called out London’s ULEZ expansion (Image: The Times / Getty) Speaking to The Times , Mr North said: ‘We tried to go without a car just to see if we could manage and we couldn’t. ‘There’s only two of us. I’m classed as disabled. The wife has to go shopping or my daughter and son-in-law have to come over. My wife’s mum… It takes my wife three buses to get there. It’s a long way.” He added: ‘I was putting £30 to £35 a month on that. This one I’ve had for just over two weeks and I’ve put £65 in it. The ULEZ expansion has sparked protests (Image: Getty) ‘It’s really hit us in the pocket all of this. But I suppose we just have to grin and bear it now.’ The new scheme charges drivers of non-compliant petrol and diesel cars £12.50 per day to use the roads. This would add up to a whopping £87.50 per week or £375 per month if motorists used their vehicles every day. Harmondsworth is the closest village to Heathrow Airport with properties lying less than two miles from the runway. Mr North feels Mayor Khan should have turned his attention to dealing with toxic aeroplane pollution which was having an impact on residents rather than raiding motorists’ bank accounts. He claimed: ‘Everybody knows there’s an airport here, everyone knows what the pollution is like. ‘We wash the windows on the hose once a fortnight. Get up in the morning and they’re literally black and that’s soot and everything. But if anything I think he should have sorted out the aircraft first.’