Dunns Food and Drink says it faces tens of thousands of pounds in penalties as it will not be ready in time to comply with Glasgow’s Low Emission Zone (LEZ).

The firm said a delay in receiving new delivery vans meant some of its vehicles would not meet emission standards by the time the zone comes into effect on June 1st. They have asked Glasgow City Council for more time to comply. 

The LEZ was first announced in 2017 as a way to improve air quality covering large parts of the city centre, with fines ranging from £60 up to £480 per day for non-compliant cars and light goods vehicles, and up to £960 for buses and HGVs.

In general, petrol vehicles registered from 2006 onwards and diesel engine vehicles registered after September 2015 will meet the required standards.

Dunns, which has 300 customers within the zone, said it had ordered several compliant diesel vehicles in November 2021 but would not receive them until July due to supply chain delays.

Operations director Julie Dunn (pictured above) said: “We support any move to improve air quality in city centres, and the introduction of the LEZ is not something that has crept up on us or taken us by surprise.

We have planned carefully and ordered compliant vehicles that under normal circumstances would have arrived well in time.”

She would also say the world had changed massively in the years since the LEZ was announced. Ms Dunn explained: “The knock-on effect of the Covid-19 pandemic, war in Ukraine, and the consequent global supply chain issues and domestic worker shortages could not have been predicted.

To now face potentially tens of thousands of pounds in fines to carry out our day-to-day duties – which are vital to hundreds of businesses in Glasgow City Centre – due to global events outwith our control does not seem right.

I am confident we are not the only wholesaler facing this situation, and I worry many other businesses could be affected too.”

There will be some exemptions from the scheme, including blue badge holders, motorcycles, mopeds and emergency vehicles. Residents living within the zone will not have to comply until June 2024, and some taxis in Glasgow have also been given extra time to comply.

Aberdeen, Dundee and Edinburgh are also introducing LEZs, but they will not be enforced until 2024. The Scottish Wholesale Association (SWA) is calling for a grace period for firms struggling to comply in time.

The trade body said it supported the low emission zone in principle but added that the “rapid introduction” would “make it very difficult for our members to operate their business efficiently”.

SWA chief executive Colin Smith said: “Our members’ businesses could be in jeopardy if they are unable to afford to upgrade their vehicles to LEZ compliant.

This would mean members pulling out of delivering to Glasgow businesses, potentially reducing competition, and increasing costs to business, residents and tourists as those complying pass on the investment costs to customers in the form of higher prices.”

Glasgow City Council put LEZ signs and road markings in place at the end of last year, covering all zone entry points. Automatic number plate recognition cameras are set to be installed later this month.