Residents of Richmond-Upon-Thames who drive polluting vehicles will be charged up to £450 a year to park outside their homes.

The cost of on-street parking permits will rise from £100 to £300 for anyone owning a high-emissions car, while those who own more than one car will have to pay 50 percent extra for their permits. Conversely, anyone driving a low-emissions vehicle will be rewarded with parking discounts.

The council say that they believe the scheme could reduce emissions by up to 15 percent. Council leader Serge Lourie said “There will be strongly held views on both sides of the argument; however, we believe it is the right thing to do. We can no longer bury our heads in the sand and pretend that climate change isn’t happening or that dealing with it is up to somebody else.”

Environmental groups welcomed the announcement, with Transport 2000 spokesman Richard Bourn saying, “This is the future. The government is already moving in the direction of polluter pays with road pricing and I think we’ll see more schemes across the country that target more polluting vehicles in a similar way.”

Friends of The Earth were more cautious, saying that however successful local schemes might be, people’s driving habits would only be changed with action from the chancellor.

Click here for Richmond’s environmental policies