Sheffield’s clean air zone (CAZ) goes live in 10 days’ time, with non-compliant HGVs charged £50 per day for entering the inner ring road and city centre.

The Class C CAZ will affect non-Euro-6 trucks from 27 February, as well as light goods vehicles, buses and coaches.

The city council said air pollution contributed to 500 deaths a year in the city and it needed to bring NO2 emissions within legal limits.

It said its research suggested some vehicles will drive around the city centre and inner ring road to avoid the charges and it did not expect this to have a significant effect on air quality.

The council added that it was not aiming to make money from the CAZ and funds raised will go towards the upkeep of the zone and reducing air pollution in the city.

Sheffield’s CAZ was delayed in 2020 due to a significant reduction in pollution levels caused by the Covid-19 pandemic and subsequent lockdowns.

At the time, the council said it would attempt to “hold onto clean air” by introducing measures other than charging people.

Sheffield will join other local authorities that have launched a CAZ, including Bristol, Bradford, Newcastle and Birmingham.

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