Lawyers for Dutch lorry drivers have launched a legal challenge against Transport for London (TfL) in the High Court.
They claim up to £6.5 million worth of penalties were issued unlawfully, with drivers reportedly reduced "to tears” and “forced to sell their trucks” because of the charges.
Transport in Nood BV, which is employed by Dutch travel companies to manage and pay fines, say it resorted to legal action after its clients received more than 10,000 fines from TfL through its debt collection agency, the Euro Parking Collection (EPC).
They enlisted British law firm Smith, Bowyer and Clarke, which claims that, in many cases, multiple fines were sent at the same time.
Lawyers will argue that if the fines were received as and when they happened, drivers would have been able to change their behaviour and avoid being penalised further.
It is also claimed the EPC is using an excessively high exchange rate to send the fines in euros, when they should be charged in pounds, according to the Telegraph.
The Ultra Low Emission Zone (Ulez), introduced to London in April 2019, charges drivers of non-compliant vehicles £12.50 per day. Drivers who fail to pay face a £180 penalty.
There is also a low emission zone enforced across the capital which charges for highly-polluting heavy goods vehicles. Companies that do not pay the fee face fines of up to £3,000.
Multiple individuals and firms in the European Union have complained that these zones have not been advertised to them clearly enough in the past.
The owner of Transport in Nood BV, Antonio Oliveira, told The Telegraph about the impact these charges have had on drivers, calling the situation “completely unjust”.
He added: “We are launching this claim to get the fines that have already been paid to be repaid, and the court costs. We are talking millions of pounds. We are not only talking about Holland – it must be even greater across Europe. We are not the only country, of course.”
One example he gave was one lorry driver, who transports flowers to London, being handed close to 400 fines worth just under £350,000.
The case is reported to be the first legal challenge against TfL and the EPC on behalf of foreign lorry drivers.
TfL said: “We have received a claim relating to penalty charge notices from claimants based in the Netherlands and are considering our response.”
