London Mayor Sadiq Khan has reportedly handed out contracts worth £151.8 million to companies to chase drivers who have not paid their ULEZ fines.
The scheme, which since August covers all London boroughs, means vehicles that do not meet emissions standards incur a daily charge of £12.50.
The Sun reports four firms have been enlisted to pursue people not paying the charge and other motoring fines by the London authority.
The paper said outstanding fines amounted to £255 million at the end of 2022 and that the companies had been asked to “gather intelligence” on those still not paying the debt.
Fines for not paying the ULEZ charge start at £180, rising to £250.
Opponents of the expansion have started targeting a fleet of camera vans attempting to enforce the rules.
Images posted on social media show some of the vans have been daubed with graffiti, had their cameras covered by bags and their tyres deflated.
One was photographed being rescued by a recovery truck. Thousands of people have joined a Facebook group encouraging people to report sightings of the vans.
The vehicles are being deployed as many fixed Ulez cameras have been put out of use by opponents of the scheme, known as Blade Runners. ULEZ cameras use automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) technology to identify vehicles.
A Transport for London (TfL) spokesman said: “Vandalism is unacceptable and all incidents on our network are reported to the police for investigation.
“Criminal damage to Ulez cameras or vehicles puts the perpetrators at risk of prosecution and injury, while simultaneously risking the safety of the public.
“Camera vandalism will not stop the Ulez operating London-wide. All vandalised cameras are repaired or replaced as soon as possible.
“Anyone driving a non-compliant vehicle within the expanded zone will be detected and we advise everyone to check whether their vehicle is compliant and to consider the various support that is available to help transition to greener modes of transport.”
