Parking charges and resident and business permits in Greenwich are now based on vehicles’ carbon dioxide emissions.

Greenwich Council said the new charges were introduced to encourage people to drive more environmentally friendly cars and help the borough reach net zero carbon emissions by 2030.

The south-east London council said customers paying by mobile app for parking would be able to get discounts of up to 65%, depending on the emissions of their vehicle.

The new system, brought in on 24 July, also means that discounts of up to 80% for the least polluting vehicles are available for resident and parking permits.

For households with more than one vehicle registered to their address, the council has introduced a £100 surcharge for each additional vehicle. It has also brought in a £50 surcharge for all diesel vehicles.

Cllr Averil Lekau, deputy leader and cabinet member for climate change, environment and transport, said: ‘This is a key part of the council’s drive to become carbon neutral by 2030. Air pollution is a risk to us all, and particularly the most vulnerable people in our communities.

‘Strong action like this is essential to protecting the health and wellbeing of our residents and tackling the detrimental impact poor air quality and carbon emissions have on our environment.’

Cllr Lekau added: ‘We understand cost increases can be a challenge, particularly during a cost-of-living crisis.’

She said the council was supporting people by investing £3.1m in the transport network and working with external partners to offer more electric vehicle charging points and create new car clubs in the borough.