Van driver racks up £47,000 of clean air zone fines without realising after they were all sent to his old address

Dale D'Agostino was issued with 317 fines for his 12-year-old Volkswagen vanBusiness says charges may force him to sell assets or even leave him in debt 

A van driver spoke of his horror after discovering £47,000 worth of clean air zone fines - which had been delivered to his old address.

Dale D'Agostino, 42, says he was issued 317 penalty notices for driving his 12-year-old Volkswagen Caravelle van in the low emissions zone in Bradford, West Yorkshire.

But the letters were initially sent to a previous address and he only found out about them when he updated the V5 logbook for his van in March.

And 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 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?

Dale D'Agostino was shocked to find 317 penalty charge notices totalling £47,000 in fines, which were delivered to his old address

Mr D'Agostino says the charges could force him to sell his assets or even leave him in debt

'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..'

Mr D'Agostino says he has unsuccessfully appealed the fines, and has been to a tribunal for 14 of the PCNs.

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He said: 'I've spoken with the Council and they want all of them paid.

'I've 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.'

Bradford's clean air zone was introduced in September 2022. Non-compliant vehicles must pay a fine, £9 for vans classed as LGVs.

The charge excludes all passenger cars and motorbikes regardless of whether they are used for work.

But Mr D'Agostino said 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.'

Bradford's Clean Air Zone was introduced in 2022, and levies £9 on each LGV van that enters the city,  while exempting all passenger cars and motorbikes

A spokesperson for Bradford Council said it was the driver's responsibility to check their vehicle and pay any charges.

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.'