Road charging 'will go ahead' - Road-charging: more details

A document sent by the Government to 10 councils seeking to run pilot road-charging schemes gives more details about how such a plan may work. It proposes:

• Owners of cars which emit more carbon dioxide, such as large limousines and 4x4s, can be made to pay more;

• Councils can adjust road prices to meet social and environmental directives;

• There will be no discounts for people who live within road-pricing areas;

• Local schemes should marry up with a national scheme and, ultimately, a European scheme.

The document also says that the Government will determine which technology is used to track drivers, and that tags inside cars would make detection easier. Tampering with the tracking devices could land drivers a six-month jail sentence.