I live on the outskirts of SW London, but rarely (maybe once every couple of years) drive into Central London. But, I decided to the day that Network Rail had shut down the rail line a couple of weekends ago into Waterloo, from Surbiton area.

We had matinee tickets for a show in town and rather than endure 2 hours each way on a mix of train and replacement buses, I decide to drive in, a bit of research told me it was free to park a stones throw from Waterloo from 1pm onwards on Saturday. It was just after New Year so traffic was very light which made the decision easy.

All good. Driven in, parked and driven out. All uneventful until yesterday when a letter drops on my door mat from Transport for London (TfL)

My car does not meet the ULEZ criteria (it's Euro V diesel and should be Euro VI) and that's a £160 fine to pay to TfL please (£80 if I pay in 14 days), as I didn't pay the £12.50 to enter the ULEZ zone.

Never heard of any ULEZ zone and I live 14 miles from Central London. Not heard it on the TV or radio, and didn't get a flyer through my door. Can't have been that well advertised then, and even if it was, you can't guarantee the information has been processed.

And it seems like many people haven't heard of it either with 307,000 tickets issued in the first six months of operation raising £41 million!!

So, I look at the ULEZ signs on-line that I must have driven past. No mention of any charges on the sign (which you've only got a split second to read anyway as your driving). No mention that diesels and petrol cars must meet Euro VI and Euro IV emissions respectively. Even if it did, driving past them as 30 mph would have made no difference.

Surely they give every registered car one warning so you can pay the £12.50 for entering the ULEZ zone in retorspect? Then is you do it again you get the full fine. Not a chance. There's no excuse. Suck it up.

I've had this crap from TfL before, and it is nothing more than lawful extortion. If it was a 3rd world country with a dictatorship, it would be seen as blatant corrupt practise.

How does TfL get away with the sh!te??!!

Apparently its being extended as far as the North and South circulars in 2021, so beware.