A van driver spoken of his horror after discovering he had accrued a staggering £47,000 worth of Clean Air Zone fines without his knowledge.
Dale D'Agostino, 42, mistakenly believed his 12 year old VW Caravelle van was exempt of the £9 daily charge in Bradford, West Yorkshire, when it was introduced in September 2022. But because he had forgotten to update his vehicle's V5 logbook when he moved house, 317 £120 penalty charge notices were sent to his old address.
It was only when Dale finally updated his van's details with the DVLA in March that he was suddenly deluged with hundreds of fines. Because of failure to pay on time the fines have mounted to £149 each. Dale insists he rang Bradford City Council and was told his 1.9 litre diesel van was exempt from the CAZ charge because it was private, non-business vehicle.
The authority says it is the driver's responsibility to check if it is exempt or not. The businessman says he has no idea how he's going to pay the whopping fines, which may force him to sell his assets or go into debt. He said: "I'm not really sure how I'm going to raise that sort of money. What am I going to do?
"Why haven't these tickets been enforced so I could deal with it sooner? Am I paying for the Bradford City of Culture on my own? They know I have assets but I don't have this money so I'll have to sell everything to pay it." Dale says he has appealed the fines, which were rejected, and has been to a tribunal for 14 of the PCNs.
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Dale D'Agostino has now been hit with £47,000 in fines (Telegraph & Argus/SWNS)He said: "I've spoken with the Council and they want all of them paid. I'm appealed them and I've put all the information forward but they get rejected. I've been to my first tribunal for the first 14 PCNs, but I haven't had a decision back." The Clean Air Zone was introduced in September 2022 but Dale, of Bingley, West Yorkshire. says he was told by the council that his vehicle was exempt.
He said: "I was told I would be added to a white list. Roll on two years, I wanted to remove my private plate and could not find my V5 logbook so applied for a replacement. In doing so came a load of CAZ fines. As these tickets started stacking up, I wondered why I didn't have an exemption."
A spokesperson for Bradford Council says it's the driver's responsibility to 'check their vehicle and pay any charge.' They said: "It's the driver's legal responsibility to make sure they keep the DVLA updated with their vehicle details and current address information. The CAZ was started in September 2022 and all Bradford businesses and residents have been given the opportunity to apply for exemptions for their vehicles which means they can pass through the CAZ free of charge at all times.
"It is the vehicle user's responsibility to check their vehicle and pay any charge due via the national Government's Central Service payment portal. Passenger vehicles are never charged. Businesses and residents within the Bradford District have been eligible to apply for a vehicle exemption from CAZ charges since prior to the launch of the CAZ.
"This process is still open. All information relating to grant and exemption eligibility as well as how to appeal a penalty charge can be found on our website. We would encourage anyone who is unsure about any aspect of the Clean Air Zone to call our team for factual advice about their specific situation on 01274 435533. We always try to help."
The standard PCN charge for failure to comply is £120.
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