Roger Watts, 82, has been in a four-month dispute with the Transport of London after being hit with three separate emissions fines all racked up on a single journey.
The controversial Ultra Low Emissions Zone (ULEZ) scheme was introduced by the mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, to reduce air pollution in the capital.
It requires vehicles to meet certain emissions standards or pay a daily charge when driving within the zone.
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The scheme has been criticised by prime minister Rishi Sunak, as well as opposition Keir Starmer, both saying the scheme will hit hard up families.
Mr Watts, who lives in Clifton Close, is another critic.
He was making a journey down to Dorset on May 31 in his 2009 plate Seat Altea, to collect a caravan, when his sat-nav took him into the capital.
“My sat-nav played up and took me straight into London and I got caught up in what can only be described as bedlam,” he said.
“I haven’t been in London since the 70s, so when I got lost, I just didn’t have the experience to get out and ended up going through three ULEZ zones.
“I saw the ULEZ signs but I just couldn’t break the traffic and get out.
“It also added nearly five extra hours to my journey – from roughly four hours to about nine hours – and £300 worth of diesel too.”
Three weeks later Mr Watts received a letter confirming the charges – which Mr Watts has tried appealing.
In that time, however, London Transport have increased the fines, meaning Mr Watts is now on the hook for a total of £810, which he says he can’t afford.
He added: “I’ve been told the fines will keep going up, so it’s not finished yet.
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“The only thing I can do is try and get some help, so I’ve been to Citizens Advice who have given me some contact details for a legal team.
“It’s very stressful as I can’t raise the sort of cash needed to pay and it’s taking up so much of my time trying to sort this.
“However I’m going to fight it to the end – these big companies assume no one can touch them – but they’ll have to take this all the way.”
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