Gasoline and diesel cars will be banned from UK roads by 2040 and people driving those vehicles will face new pollution taxes starting in 2020 as the government looks to improve air quality, Sky News reported Tuesday.
Environment Secretary Michael Gove is expected to reveal the plan soon, a decision that echoes a similar ban made by the French earlier this month. It also comes as car giants, including Volvo which recently announced all of its new motors will be electric or hybrid after 2019, turn towards cleaner technology.
The pollution taxes will apply on the busiest roads, including the M4 near London and the M32 in Bristol. Currently, 81 major roads in 17 towns are in breach of the European Union's emission standards.
"Our plan to deal with dirty diesels will help councils clean up emissions hotspots – often a single road – through common sense measures which do not unfairly penalize ordinary working people," a government spokesman told Sky News.
"Diesel drivers are not to blame and to help them switch to cleaner vehicles the government will consult on a targeted scrappage scheme – one of a number of measures to support motorists affected by local plans."
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