Anyone planning to visit Kempton Park after 3rd January 2012, be warned. There are new changes coming in affecting diesel vans from 1 tonne upward. I'll be posting a full report on this on my website (www.sumpmagazine.com), but the gist of it is that if you have a diesel van registered before 1st October 2011, it will cost you £100 to enter the London Low Emission Zone (LEZ) which is, roughly speaking, the area inside the M25. Failure to pay will cost you £1000 (reducable to £500 for prompt payment).

But it gets worse. If you're an overseas visitor, you'll have to notify Transport for London (TfL) that you're entering the zone even if your vehicle is fully compliant. The position is very complicated with different rules for different vehicles, so check my site after tonight, or visit the Transport for London website and explore it for yourself.

Historic vehicles are exempt, but you'll have to notify TfL (I think). Doesn't apply to petrol engined vehicles. Just diesels.

Kempton Park, it seems, is just outside of the zone. But the position isn't entirely clear. If you travel on the M25 and/or M3, you can miss the zone. But if you come in on other routes or get a little lost, it could cost you dearly and spoil your autojumble visit, bigtime.

This is NOT the same as the London Congestion Zone. This is a much wider area and will affect you driving to the Ace Cafe, Russell Motors, and a lot of other London dealers (assuming you drive an older diesel-engined van or truck).

I'm still checking the position, so check it out for yourself.

Watch out.

email (option): dannydefazio@sumpmagazine.com

More shit from a shit council run by a shit government running what is becoming a shit country. (sorry for the language, but what is going on?!!)

email (option): mick@motorbikemike.org.uk

Maybe it's about time there was a new capital city! It does nothing to help commerce other than ensuring that the delivery companies use newer vehicles that ultimately push up the prices of deliveries. I used to travel to London on a fairly regular basis, but I certainly WILL NOT PAY, so consequently I won't ever bother to go anywhere near London any more, it is just another form of taxation under a "green" banner. I knew a while back something like this was coming.

email (option): davmax@ntlworld.com

Thanks for the warning Danny..about 99% of jumblers have vans older than that!..I stopped doing Kempton a while back as the 500 mile round trip got too expensive. Sounds like another brilliant scheme from the people that invaded the Sudetanland and now run this country...hey ho..'You might think your free, but you're not.'.. ...Ian

email (option): ian@wright52.plus.com

Was I mistaken that road tax allowed you to drive on the roads? Obviously my MOT saying my vehicle is compliant with current safety and emisssion standards is not good enough for London......they can shove it up their arse!!!

email (option): davmax@ntlworld.com

Hi danny

That ties in with my pal who lives near kempton who has sold his van

He was at kempton today with a petrol 4x4

Said his van wouldn't make the emission regs

I just thought it was because it was old

Your post tonight clarifies everything

Job

email (option): Jonnyob1@googlemail.com

I have to say I agree with Dave...I don't need to go to London that much. I often wonder just how much more s**t the population of this country will take before they decide they've had enough...I live in hope that day will come...Ian

email (option): ian@wright52.plus.com

Believe me, if this subliminal taxation goes on along with the present economic climate it will be white collar workers rioting next summer, not just track suited hoodies! Hopefully they'll start smashing up government buildings, not just electronic stores. I imagine that the population of London would thoroughly enjoy paying more for their deliveries, I can just imagine it on couriers websites... "packages to London will be liable for an extra £25 surcharge"

email (option): davmax@ntlworld.com

Hi Ian and everyone. Take note that this does NOT apply to petrol-engined vehicles. It's diesels only. Note too that Northern Ireland registered vehicles are also oblged to register entry into the zone on pain of a huge fine even if their vehicles are otherwise compliant.

A lot of drivers are very confused and panic selling vehicles that are perfectly compliant (petrol vans, people carriers, etc). So don't be panicked. Just be alert. And don't try and hack bits off vehicles to get the weight down, etc. It's all on a database. Cameras will snap you and the fine will follow. It feels like they didn't take down Checkpoint Charlie; they just moved it to Stasi Britain.

I'm putting the full position on Sump within the hour. But remember to do your own homework on this to rule out errors I might have made.

You can still use the M25, incidentally, even though some of it passes through the zone. But if you come off it and visit Greater London, you could be liable for the £100-per-day tax or a £1000 fine. I'm not sure what the position is on other motorways such as the M11 and A2. Still checking. Private and commercial vehicles are equally liable.

Anyone else thinking of leaving the UK?

email (option): dannydefazio@sumpmagazine.com

Hey Danny, Ive been thinking of leaving for a long time, but my beloved France is becoming just as bad. Maybe Holland would put up with me?
Cheers, Mick.

email (option): mick@motorbikemike.org.uk

I've already done it Danny but this is a Europe-wide thing.

A couple of weeks ago, the firm sent me off in the old Volvo 12-tonner to Witten in Germany. I didn't really know where my exit was and was absolutely bricking it on the urban autobahn through Essen as all the exits were marked with warnings about the 'umwelt' - environment zones.

What the hell do you do when you're working and one of those signs pops up ? I wouldn't have been popular if I'd gone home fully loaded and I get lost every time I go out so no amount of planning helps.

On the positive side for European registered vehicles, one of the regular posters on here habitually ignores UK speed cameras and they haven't caught up with him yet ! (No names, no pack-drill !)

Actually, I've already left Britain. I live in East London.

email (option): dannydefazio@sumpmagazine.com

I left there in the sixties! is it time to return?
Mick.

email (option): mick@motorbikemike.org.uk

Hi Mick, that depends on whether you speak Bengali, Urdu, Punjabi, Somalian, or Polish.

email (option): dannydefazio@sumpmagazine.com

Not much hope for me then. Used to live in Clarence Road Lower Clapton. I think we were the last white family to leave. The place next door was converted to a mosque. the wailing was just too much.

email (option): mick@motorbikemike.org.uk

Apologies. Typing gremlin. The date on this original post read 2011. Should read 2002. But in fact the position is more complex.

There are different dates applicable. Diesel vehicles registered before 1st Jan 2006 applies to heavier vans and trucks. Diesel vehicles registered before 1st Jan 2002 applies to lighter vans (there are different dates again depending on whether Euro 3 or Euro 4 applies).

Therefore pre-2002 one tonne kerbside/3.5 tonne GVW diesel vans will not be compliant come 3rd Jan 2012 and will be subject to a £100 per day charge in the London Low Emissions Zone.

Pre-2006 (1st Jan) heavier vans are also non-compliant come 3rd Jan 2012 and will be subject to a £200 per day charge in the London Low Emmisions Zone.

Confusing, or what?

Apologies again. Rush to get this out, etc. Should have double checked. But I'm getting conflicting info from everyone, including TfL who don't agree or understand their own rules.

Check details for yourself. There is a lot of misinformation going around, which is being inadvertently repeated by clumsy posts such as this.

I'll repeat this message in a fresh window (above). But check the TfL website for the latest. I think the positions as outlined on Sump is (so far) accurate. I'll check again after the weekend when the Transport for London Press Office is open again and will look for confirmation/clarification.

Here are some links. Read and read again.

http://www.tfl.gov.uk/roadusers/lez/17678.aspx

http://trafficalerts.tfl.gov.uk/microsite/tn2007-map.php?lez&easting=547572&northing=200189

email (option): dannydefazio@sumpmagazine.com

hi all, my two penneth,about ten years ago the government was
pushing diesel as the way to go ,with lean burn engines etc,
now its dearer than petrol.
we have had one strike already,a bit of rioting,the budgeted figures dont add up,and now its looking like we will be bailing out europe again.we never learn ,we are back again into the 70s
and 80s,cuts strikes,closures.
our heritage is diminishing before our eyes,
all that has been fought for since 1066 is now being handed back
on a plate,we have had it

email (option): richardholt@rocketmail.com

I drive at times a 1948 ex London Transport RT bus but because of its age we have registered it and can take it into London. Many of the coach companies no longer bring people to London because they run older vehicles and don't see the need to scrap good coaches to comply, so less visiters and less money spent in the capital.

i live in the emission zone in north kent my 1992 landrover defender 90 tdi station wagon is exempt but a comercial one isnt which i think was due to the large amount of discoveries tdi that would have been put off the road in London when it first started but i dont know whether it will be in 2013 as you say it is confusing some people say the landrover 110 station wagon is not exempt you now see our traveling comunities around here had new vans/pickups you will find your bus is liable to pay the charge if you us it for carring paying passengers just to add you can drive round and round the M25 puffing out particulate to your hearts content with being charger stupid isnt it

email (option): roger.back@node6.com

We saw the Arab spring on our tellies all this year, it's about time we had a European Spring and got these unelected Eurocrat fat cats and National moronic Governments out and take the countries back for the people instead of Bankers and other assorted "Merchant Bankers" (cockney rhyming slang to avoid offending the ladies, old chap!)

email (option): stinkypete80@hotmail.com

you need to warn anybody coming to pick up bits from you if you live in the zone or not to drive though it to get to you on the other side

email (option): roger.back@node6.com