A retired doctor from Watford has backed expanding the ULEZ amid festering controversy over the plan.

Mayor of London Sadiq Khan is set to plough on with the policy on August 29 despite opposition claiming it is punishing those worst off in a cost of living crisis. 

But Heather Parry, who worked as an anaesthetist at Watford General until 2013, has backed the plans and claimed they will improve the health of those who may struggle to pay.

She said: “ULEZ is going to help health issues so much, you can feel the pollution in and around Watford, especially Rickmansworth Road.

“The pollution is so thick, you can feel it in your lungs and it has affected so many people’s health.”

Watford Observer:

The expansion will affect five million Londoners, according to TfL, as well as people who live in Hertfordshire and commute to the capital.

There will be a £12.50 fee for people driving in the ULEZ with a car which does not meet the emission standards.

The 71-year-old added: “Very few people who travel into central London need to drive, it is so much better for the environment if you use public transport.

“However, there is a big problem in Hertfordshire as public transport is disappearing very quickly, we have lost 56 per cent of bus services, so I can understand why people drive so much.”

The ULEZ will operate 24 hours a day all year except on Christmas Day.

Sadiq Khan announced weeks ago that Londoners with a non-ULEZ-compliant car can apply for a grant, from August 21, up to £2,000 to help towards an upgrade, but this will not be offered to Hertfordshire residents despite many commuting into London.

Dr Heather Parry, a retired doctor, said: “Poorer people are affected more by poor air quality than richer people as they are more likely to live near main roads and have smaller front gardens, so ULEZ will help the health of lower income people.

“Londoners have access to good transport but we don’t have that in Hertfordshire, so it is hard for people to be conscious of the environment and use cars less.”