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Clean Air Zones in the UK
What is Clean Air Zones?
The Clean Air Zones (CAZ) is a government scheme with restrictions to specific areas to improve air quality. A CAZ can be as small as a single road or as big as a whole city.
How does Clean Air Zones affect Removals service?
This has implications for removals services that operate Light Goods Vehicles and Heavy Goods Vehicles, as there will be a charge to enter such zones if the vehicle is not compliant.
What is a compliant vehicle in Clean Air Zone?
Generally, your vehicle must be at least Euro 4 emission standard complaint petrol model or registered after 2006. If it's a diesel, it should be compliant with Euro 6.
| Type of vehicle | Registered after | Euro compliant |
|---|---|---|
| Petrol | January 2006 | At least Euro 4 |
| Diesel | September 2015 | At least Euro 6 |
Exemption from CAZ
There are a few exemptions for CAZ; all cities implementing CAZ will have their own rules. However, the baseline rules for all cities force exemption are always:
- Residents within the Zone
- Blue badge holders
- Vehicles with a disabled tax class
Cities implementing CAZ
| City | Non-Compliant LGV per day | Non-Compliant HGV per day | Start Date | Operational hours |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aberdeen | TBA | TBA | 2023 | TBA |
| Bath | £9 | £100 | 15/03/2021 | 24/7 |
| Birmingham | £8 | £50 | 14/06/2021 | 24/7 |
| Bradford | £9 | £50 | 05/01/2022 | 24/7 |
| Bristol | £9 | £100 | 29/10/2021 | 24/7 |
| Cambridge | TBA | TBA | 2024 | TBA |
| Cardiff | £10 | £50 | 2024 | TBA |
| Dundee | TBA | TBA | 2024 | TBA |
| Edinburgh | TBA | TBA | 2024 | TBA |
| Gateshead | £12.50 | £50 | 2021 | 24/7 |
| Glasgow | TBA | TBA | 01/06/2023 | TBA |
| Leeds | Abolished | Abolished | Abolished | Abolished |
| Leicester | Abolished | Abolished | Abolished | Abolished |
| Liverpool | TBA | TBA | TBA | TBA |
| London (ULEZ) | £12.50 | £100 | 08/04/2019 | 24/7 |
| London (LEZ) | £100 | £100-£300 | 04/02/2008 | 24/7 |
| Manchester | £10 | £60 | 30/05/2022 (HGV) 31/05/2023 (LGV) |
24/7 |
| Newcastle | £12.50 | £50 | 2022 | 24/7 |
| North Tyneside | £12.50 | £50 | 2021 | 24/7 |
| Oxford (ZEZ) | £2-£10 | £2-£10 | 2022 | 07:00 to 19:00 |
| Portsmouth | N/A | £50 | 2021 | 24/7 |
| Sefton | TBA | TBA | TBA | TBA |
| Sheffield | £10 | £50 | TBA | TBA |
| Southampton | Abolished | Abolished | Abolished | Abolished |
| St Albans | TBA | TBA | TBA | TBA |
| Stoke-On-Trent | £9-£35 | £9-£35 | TBA | TBA |
| Warrington | TBA | TBA | TBA | TBA |
| York | N/A | N/A | 01/02/2020 | N/A |
TLDR
There is now a cost associated with non-compliant Heavy Goods and Light Goods vehicles travelling through the inner city areas of most major cities in the UK. Customers will most likely have this cost added to their home removal quotes, as not all removal companies have the latest compliant vehicles.
