A national network of clean air zones seen as likely after High Court ruling

A national network of low emission zones charging older diesel vehicles are seen as likely after the Government resolved to come up with a more ambitious air quality plan after its strategy was deemed to fail to bring the UK into compliance with the law "as soon as possible".

The Guardian said that "drivers of polluting diesel vehicles could soon be charged to enter many city centres across Britain" after ClientEarth successfully argued that a national network of clean air zones needed to be in place by 2018 and "not just in a handful of cities". The court had heard plans for more than a dozen such zones had been watered down to five in addition to London, it said. 

The FT concurred that curbs on diesel vehicles now needed to be brought in earlier and more extensively, after the court yesterday ruled that the plans for low-emission zones drawn up under David Cameron to ensure the air was legal in all 43 air quality management zones could be introduced earlier than 2020, given Birmingham plans an LEZ for 2018 and London and Nottingham for 2019.