Sheffield’s clean air zone (CAZ) has reached its first anniversary with the number of non-compliant lorries, vans and buses falling by almost 66%, according to the council.

The city’s Class C CAZ affects non-Euro-6 trucks, which must pay £50 per day for entering the inner ring road and city centre.

In December 2022, ahead of its launch, the council launched a financial assistance scheme to support those with the most polluting vehicles to replace or upgrade to a cleaner vehicle.

It said that to date, more than 2,000 grant awards had been made, totalling £4.2million with more applications still in process.

Councillor Ben Miskell, chair of the transport, regeneration and climate committee, said:

“It’s been a year since the Clean Air Zone was first introduced and I want to thank the people of Sheffield and businesses in the area for their response. The data is showing that people are making the switch to cleaner vehicles, taking the most polluting lorries, vans and buses off our streets and improving the air that we breathe.”

In July 2023, the council admitted it was refunding up to £500,000 to drivers after they were incorrectly issued with a penalty charge notice when the clocks went forward.

The council said the error occurred at a third-party supplier level when the clocks went forward from Greenwich Mean Time to British Summer Time.