Sadiq Khan's Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) expansion will slap thousands of unaware drivers with eye-watering fines unless the mayor introduces a one-month amnesty for non-payment.

From October 25, Londoners may have been unknowingly driving within the new ULEZ area. If the daily £12.50 charge wasn't damaging enough, those unaware drivers will be hit by a whopping £160 fine each time they fail to pay.

Worryingly, many drivers are unaware of the ULEZ charge.

According to one study by car sales website Motorway, most drivers in and around London were unaware of the ULEZ expansion. It also found that even fewer motorists are confident about the new boundaries.

Ilford Recorder: Keith Prince and colleagues unveiled a fully-costed amendment to the mayor's budget which would have frozen council taxKeith Prince and colleagues unveiled a fully-costed amendment to the mayor's budget which would have frozen council tax (Image: City Hall)

The mayor should forgive drivers for falling foul of the new ULEZ boundaries. The new zone stretches up to the North and South Circulars. That's 18 times the size of the old area and splits many London boroughs in two, including Redbridge.

Together with my Conservative colleagues, I am calling on the mayor to introduce a one-month fines amnesty.

When ULEZ was first introduced in 2019, Transport for London (TfL) offered a similar grace period. Doing it again would give London some time to adapt to the new zone and stop the £160 ULEZ fines squeezing people to breaking point.

Unlike the Congestion Charge, the ULEZ charge is 24 hours a day and seven days a week.

You can check to see if your vehicle is ULEZ compliant using TfL's number plate checker: tfl.gov.uk/modes/driving/check-your-vehicle/.