Bradford man's disbelief at clocking up £47,000 in CAZ fines

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

Mr D’Agostino said: “That’s £47,000 worth of Clean Air Zone fines and I’ve not had one notice.

“They’ve stacked one on top of another.”

Dale D'Agostino displays a selection of the 317 penalty charge notices he recently received for violations of the Clean Air Zone (Image: Newsquest)

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

“They’ve approved my permit on March 5 to drive in and out of the CAZ, but then these 317 PCNs followed.

“I’ve spoken with the Council and they want all of them paid.

“I’m 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.

Mr D’Agostino explained that he rang the Council up in July 2022 before the CAZ came into effect in September. 

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.

“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?

“Am I paying for the Bradford City of Culture on my own?

A spokesperson for Bradford Council said: “We cannot comment on individual cases but can offer the following generic information.

“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.”