Van driver hit by £47,000 of clean air fines sent to his old address

van driver hit by £47,000 of clean air fines sent to his old address

Mr D'Agostino only found out about them when he updated the V5 logbook for his van in March - TELEGRAPH & ARGUS/SWNS

A van driver has been hit with £47,000 worth of clean air zone fines after penalty charge notices (PCN) were delivered to his old address.

Dale D’Agostino was issued 317 PCNs for driving his 12-year-old Volkswagen Caravelle van inside the city of Bradford’s clean air zone (Caz).

But the letters were sent to an old address, meaning Mr D’Agostino, 42, only found out about them when he updated the V5 logbook for his van in March.

The Bingley-based businessman said he did not know how he would pay the five-figure sum, saying: “Am I paying for the Bradford City of Culture on my own?”

“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?

“They know I have assets but I don’t have this money so I’ll have to sell everything to pay it.”

Bradford’s Caz is similar to the London Ulez and requires that older, more polluting, vehicles must pay a daily tax to drive within its boundaries.

The zone was introduced in September 2022, but Mr D’Agostino claimed he was told by the council that his van was exempt.

He said he has appealed against the fines to the city council, which rejected his pleas, and has now taken 14 of the PCNs to a tribunal.

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 got rejected.

“I’ve been to my first tribunal for the first 14 PCNs, but I haven’t had a decision back.”

White list

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 spokesman for Bradford Council said “we always try to help”, adding that it was the driver’s responsibility to pay any taxes or fines due.

The spokesman said: “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.

“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.”

Private number plates have caused problems in the past with other vehicle charging zones.

A London plumber who fitted personalised number plates to his fleet of vans ran up hundreds of pounds in Ulez fees despite his vehicles being compliant.

Sam Reading bought four registration plates that created the words “GAS JOB” for his company vehicles to help promote a distinct brand for his business.

But he discovered that despite his vans only being a few years old and Ulez compliant, he was being charged £15 whenever the vehicles were driven in London.

Transport for London cancelled the fines, saying its computer systems were only updated every four weeks with the latest addresses and contact details for registered keepers.

Play The Telegraph’s brilliant range of Puzzles - and feel brighter every day. Train your brain and boost your mood with PlusWord, the Mini Crossword, the fearsome Killer Sudoku and even the classic Cryptic Crossword.

OTHER NEWS

39 minutes ago

Brown throws 7 scoreless innings, Dubón homers and Astros beat Tigers 4-0

39 minutes ago

Five of the best fashion memoirs

41 minutes ago

Biden's student loan work gets tepid reviews — even among those with debt, an AP-NORC poll finds

42 minutes ago

I was 27, working full time and scraping by on $750 a week. Now at 35 I'm a millionaire, have three luxury cars and paid cash for my mansion: Here's how I did it

42 minutes ago

Marlon Wayans hits back at social media trolls after posting show of support for Pride Month and LGBTQ+ community: 'If I lost you… GOOD!'

44 minutes ago

Kuwait fire: Bodies of 45 Indians killed in blaze arrive in Kerala

44 minutes ago

Nigel Farage tells debate 'we're the opposition now' as Reform poll ahead of struggling Tories

44 minutes ago

Supermarkets urgently recall sandwiches, wraps and salad over E.coli breakout

44 minutes ago

Indigenous business owner fears losing permit to operate on the water

47 minutes ago

Trudeau meets with world leaders as G7 begins

49 minutes ago

Chinese premier flies to Australia after New Zealand visit

49 minutes ago

Biden goes straight from G7 to Hollywood fundraiser, balancing geopolitics with his reelection bid

49 minutes ago

Down 3, Tennessee rallies for wild MCWS walk-off win over Florida St.

49 minutes ago

19th-century mansion turned into set for Little Nyonya spin-off

49 minutes ago

Microsoft postpones ‘Recall’, its controversial AI feature that recorded everything you do

49 minutes ago

Famed LA prosecutor asks judge to force woke boss George Gascon to answer questions under oath

49 minutes ago

Dan Patrick reflects on time at ESPN, relationship with Keith Olbermann

49 minutes ago

Frozen Russian assets to be used to help Ukraine war, G7 summit decides

49 minutes ago

Closed patios can reopen, but Montreal faces more questions over F1 weekend problems

49 minutes ago

Trump speaks at Capitol Hill for the first time since January 6 riots, calls Milwaukee 'horrible'

49 minutes ago

Hands-On With Astro Bot: Pure Joy

49 minutes ago

Jack breaks silence on China drugs scandal as further positive cases emerge

49 minutes ago

Riki faces ban as Broncos' mid-season woes deepen

49 minutes ago

Retired judge reacts to ethics claims about Justice Thomas

49 minutes ago

Delayed the Finale: Phillies 5 Orioles 3

49 minutes ago

As Hamas demands changes to hostage deal, where will Israel not compromise?

49 minutes ago

Germany’s Toni Kroos was a man on fire vs. Scotland

52 minutes ago

Couple rescued from desert near California's Joshua Tree National Park after running out of water

54 minutes ago

Horrifying footage shows burned out mangled Mercedes after beloved charity worker slammed his car into toll booth before exploding into fireball

54 minutes ago

Mavericks rout the Celtics in third-largest win in NBA Finals history... with Luka Doncic leading Dallas to a 122-84 win over Boston

54 minutes ago

Barstool Sports chief Dave Portnoy leaves Celtics game early and puts his celebratory cigar 'on ice' - after traveling all the way to Dallas to see brutal NBA Finals loss

54 minutes ago

Upscale Los Angeles neighborhood removes 'homophobic' no U-turn signs

55 minutes ago

New face of Australian drug dealers revealed as women in their 30s and 40s

55 minutes ago

Tony Mordente, “West Side Story” actor and ex-husband of the late Chita Rivera, dies at 88

55 minutes ago

Anti-woke brigade are losing their minds about Disney’s new ride inspired by The Princess and the Frog

55 minutes ago

CM takes stock of preparations in Kashi ahead of PM's visit

55 minutes ago

Electoral shake-up leaves awkward questions for the teals – and headaches for the major parties

55 minutes ago

7 big names to miss US Open cut including Tiger Woods and LIV Golf rival Phil Mickelson

58 minutes ago

Nashville officer arrested after allegedly participating in OnlyFans traffic stop skit video

59 minutes ago

Charlamagne Tha God Gets ‘Real’ On Caitlin Clark’s Appeal With Bill Maher