Bradford man in disbelief after racking up £47,000 in Clean Air Zone fines

A BRADFORD man has spoken of his disbelief after racking up a whopping £47,000 in Clean Air Zone (CAZ) fines.

Dale D’Agostino, from Bingley, received 317 penalty notices (at £149 each) for driving his 12-year-old van in the Bradford Clean Air Zone from September 2022.

Mr D’Agostino said: “That’s £47,000 in fines for the Clean Air Zone and we’ve had no notice.

“They stacked on top of each other.”

Dale D’Agostino displays a selection of the 317 penalty notices he recently received for clean air zone violations (Image: Newsquest)

Mr D’Agostino said he only found out about all the PCNs when he updated the V5 logbook for his van in March this year.

“They approved my permit on March 5 to enter and exit the CAZ, but then these 317 PCNs followed.

“I have spoken to the Council and they want everyone to be paid.

“I challenged them and presented all the information, but they are rejected.

“I went to my first tribunal for the first 14 PCNs but I didn’t get a decision back.

Mr D’Agostino explained that he called the Council in July 2022 before the CAZ came into force in September.

He said: “I was told I would be whitelisted.

“Two years ago I wanted to remove my private plate and couldn’t find my V5 log book so I requested a replacement. In doing so came a slew of CAZ fines.

“As these tickets started to add up, I wondered why I didn’t have an exemption.

“I’m not really sure how I’m going to raise that kind of money. What am I going to do?

“Why weren’t these tickets applied so I could deal sooner?

“Am I paying for Bradford City of Culture myself?

A Bradford Council spokesman said: “We cannot comment on individual cases but can provide the following general information.

“It is the driver’s legal responsibility to ensure they keep the DVLA up to date with their vehicle details and current address information.

“CAZ launched in September 2022 and all Bradford businesses and residents have been given the opportunity to claim exemptions for their vehicles, meaning they can go through CAZ for free at any time.

“It is the responsibility of the vehicle user to check their vehicle and pay any tax due through the National Government Central Service payment portal. Passenger vehicles are never charged.

“Bradford Borough businesses and residents have been eligible to claim a vehicle exemption from CAZ charges since before CAZ was launched. This process is still open.

“All information regarding grant and exemption eligibility and how to appeal a penalty 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 concrete advice about their specific situation on 01274 435533. We always try to help.”