Watford's mayor has welcomed the news that a plan to make Hertfordshire motorists pay to drive into London has been scrapped.

Transport for London confirmed last week it would not be going ahead with the Greater London Boundary Charge.

It was an idea designed to boost TfL's finances that would have forced anyone living outside of London pay £3.50 to drive into the capital.

Watford Liberal Democrat mayor Peter Taylor said: "It is great to hear that the plan to charge drivers a boundary tax to enter greater London has been scrapped. I have been campaigning on this issue since it was first rumoured given the detrimental impact it would have on the people of Watford.

"However, we need reassurances that the public transport Watford residents rely on is also safe. There have been rumours of axing the Met line and other local services which cannot happen. I would welcome further information from the Mayor of London on what this means practically for TfL users."

Watford's Conservative MP Dean Russell also welcomed the move, saying: "As I highlighted in my letter to him last year the plans would have increased the cost of trading across the Southeast and risked the economic recovery of hundreds of thousands of businesses after the pandemic. I am pleased that London's Mayor has seen sense."

Although the boundary charge has been dropped, some drivers in Hertfordshire could face even bigger charges to drive into London.

London Labour mayor Sadiq Khan wants to expand the ultra-low emission zone (ULEZ) to cover the whole of London. It currently runs up to but not including the North and South Circular roads.

Drivers of vehicles which do not comply with minimum emissions standards are charged a daily fee of £12.50 for entering the Ulez area.

Whether or not a vehicle is liable for the charge depends on how much nitrogen dioxide (NO2) it emits. For diesel cars to avoid the charge they must generally have been registered after September 2015, while most petrol models registered from 2005 are also exempt.

Mr Khan has asked TfL to consult on extending the ULEZ to the whole of Greater London by the end of next year.

Responding to the possible expansion, Mr Taylor said: "Any extension to the ULEZ must come with better public transport for those in outer London boroughs and surrounding areas, such as Watford.

"We all want to reduce pollution but people need to be able to travel. It is essential that we see improvements to local bus and train services so that people have proper, affordable alternatives - rather than simply being punished for using their car."