Diesel drivers face “toxin taxes” of up to £20 a day in 35 towns and cities across England. Andrea Leadsom, the environment secretary is due to unveil measure which will “oblige” local councils in affected areas to draw up plans as to how they are to deal with the problem of nitrous oxide and particulate pollution caused in the main by diesel engines.

Birmingham, Nottingham and Derby are being bandied about as areas of concern in the Midlands region but just how far will Leadsom go? and once again it looks like Theresa May’s Tories are fobbing off the responsibility for “doing something” about the problem onto already hard pressed local councils.

As usual with the present government it’s all very much laissez faire no one size fits all policy on the hoof style so motorists will probably fall foul of whatever is devised from ignorance caused by confusion due to a multitude of schemes. Whatever happens it’s going to look like just another trap set by politicians to raise money from hard pressed motorists. It isn’t as if the government is doing things to encourage people out of their cars with public transport in chaos outside of London and a rail alternative which requires a mortgage for an annual ticket.

Instead of forcing councils to add further punitive measures in the vain hope that motorists will abandon their diesel cars in favour of a cleaner, more expensive alternative. Surely the government should be encouraging more investment into an integrated public transport network and putting pressure of vehicle manufacturers to invest in research and development to speed up the transition to cleaner technologies for powering the vehicles of the not to distant future?