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Fewer non-compliant commercial vehicles are entering the London Low Emission Zone (LEZ), according to Transport for London (TfL). The organisation says approximately 50,000 vehicles subject to the first phase of the LEZ - lorries over 12 tonnes - have passed through the zone each week since its introduction in February. Currently, just under 5% of these are non-compliant (below Euro-3 standard vehicles). In the first month, the non-compliant percentage was 8%. A quarter of trucks were non-compliant  in May 2007 when TfL began monitoring vehicle compliance.

A TfL spokesman says: "TfL anticipates that non-compliance will fall further as operators continue to take action to make their vehicles compliant with the scheme." By close of business on 8 April, TfL had issued 543 LEZ penalty charge notices (worth a minimum of £135,750 and a maximum of £814,500) and received some 3,100 daily charge payments (totalling £620,000).

TfL says its policy of issuing only warning letters to operators of non-compliant vehicles the first time they are seen in the zone will be in place "throughout the life of the scheme". The spokesman adds: "This has worked well in the initial months since the scheme went live and we are pleased to see non-compliance rates have continued to fall since this date.

"We believe that the policy strikes a fair balance between ensuring the benefits are delivered while giving those operators who have taken steps to meet the emissions standards an opportunity  to comply." On 7 July, the LEZ will be extended to cover diesel-engined lorries of more than 3.5 tonnes. The TfL spokesman adds that the launch of the second phase of the scheme is "on-track to go ahead as planned".