00:00 Less than a week to go. The ultra-low emission zone will see all non-compliant vehicles paying a £12.50 daily fee.
00:09 This residential road is right on the edge of the Ules zone. For houses on this side, they're in Bexley.
00:15 They have access to a scrappage scheme. But for houses on that side, they're in Dartford Borough Council.
00:20 There's no scrappage scheme for them and it's not going down well with locals.
00:24 This carpenter says 80% of his business is in London. He's had to take out a £10,000 loan to buy a new van.
00:33 I had to go into the Ules just to get to the yard. Hence, why I had to change my van.
00:41 I wanted to go away on holiday this year, but I can't afford that now.
00:45 So the kids lose out, as well as me and the missus.
00:49 But no choice. There was nothing wrong with my old van. It wasn't Ules compliant.
00:55 But why should I have to get a van just to go to work? It's wrong. I'm self-employed.
01:01 Many other businesses have had to do the same.
01:05 What this is, is a tax. It's not a genuine commitment to tackle air pollution and air quality.
01:11 It's a tax. It's a tax on the motorists. It's a tax on small business people.
01:15 And it's going to mean that businesses will struggle. We've already seen in our latest business confidence index, confidence has slumped.
01:22 So I'm afraid there's little good news with the introduction of Ules.
01:26 And if it's causing so much fuss, why is it going ahead?
01:30 Air pollution and the climate crisis are the most serious public health and environmental threats we face.
01:36 In a statement, the mayor says it's to reduce toxic air, with around 4,000 Londoners dying prematurely each year due to air pollution.
01:44 And a Kent doctor says there might be some truth in this.
01:48 Of course, people don't sort of die of just pollution.
01:51 Well, those deaths are things like heart disease, lung disease, and pollution even gets into things like kidneys and livers and so on.
01:58 And so they're dying of other things, but that's the prediction as to the effect of pollution.
02:03 Nine out of ten cars in outer London are already Ules compliant, according to the mayor.
02:09 And cameras have already been put up on the Kent border ahead of the expansion next week.
02:14 But many vandalised. And some motorists are concerned about the lack of signage.
02:20 Kent County Council, along with other home counties, are not allowing Transport for London access to their highways.
02:27 We continue to reject the moves by Transport for London to put their signage on our highways.
02:34 And it remains a source of frustration and anger to us that, frankly, the mayor and Transport for London are imposing a whole series of burdens on Kent residents.
02:45 It seems there'll be no last minute challenge to Ules.
02:49 But Transport for London say councils have a responsibility to ensure residents are aware of Ules.
02:55 Gabriel Morris for KMTV in Dartford.
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