Exclusive:The 'extraordinary' £1.2m fines verdict for Scottish council after enforcing low emission zone

Enforcement of Scotland’s first low emission zone (LEZ) to improve city centre air quality has reaped £1.2 million in fines, including more than 1,000 maximum penalties.

New figures show a total of 3,200 motorists were fined for driving non-compliant vehicles into the centre of Glasgow last month as the city’s penalty regime entered its second year.

Glasgow's city centre low emission zone has been enforced since June | John Devlin/The Scotsman

Enforcement followed in Scotland’s three other largest cities - Edinburgh, Aberdeen and Dundee - from June in a move to improve health.

Only diesel and petrol vehicles with the most up-to-date engines are permitted in a designated area of each city centre, which is enforced by number plate cameras.

Scottish Conservative shadow transport minister Graham Simpson said: “These are extraordinary figures and show that many drivers either can’t comply with the new LEZ regulations or won’t comply.

“Glasgow City Council must work with motorists and ensure they can meet the new regulations and avoid paying these high costs.”

Neil Greig, the Scotland-based policy adviser to the IAM RoadSmart motoring group, said: “These levels of fines are ridiculous and Glasgow council should urgently review their approach.

“Clearly their education and scrappage schemes are not working. Signage and assistance for repeat offenders also needs to be looked at.” Glasgow’s total for June was the highest since December and more than during the first month of enforcement in June last year of 2,897 fines. Since then, the monthly figures have ranged between 2,236 and 6,139 “penalty charge notices” being issued, which reached a peak in July last year.

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June’s figures include 101 drivers being fined a maximum £960 for clocking up a fifth offence within 90 days, or around three months. Although it was down from 185 in May, the monthly total was the fifth highest to date.

Most of the fines in June (2,721) were for a first offence within the previous 90 days. The £60 penalties are halved if paid within two weeks.

A Glasgow City Council spokesperson said: “The number of penalties issued has almost halved since the first few months of scheme operation, with the vast majority of fines issued for a first time LEZ infringement.

“These penalties carry additional charges if not paid or contested promptly, and if they remain unpaid would ultimately end up being pursued for further action. We would remind drivers that Glasgow’s LEZ is fully in force and to familiarise themselves with its emissions requirements.”

In Edinburgh, a total of 6,030 fines were issued in June during the first month of enforcement there - more than twice as many as in Glasgow’s first month.

The Scottish Conservatives have described that as “astonishing”, although city council transport convener Scott Arthur predicted at a roundtable event on LEZs organised by The Scotsman the number of initial fines might be higher than expected.

In Aberdeen, there were 1,956 fines issued during the first 11 days of enforcement but figures for the whole of June have still to be published.

Dundee City Council said it had issued 2,144 fines during the first month of enforcement in June.