A NETWORK of 58 roadside cameras will enforce the Clean Air Zone (CAZ) policy in Bury once it is introduced in just over 10 months.

The whole of Greater Manchester is set to push ahead with the initiative that would see drivers of heavily-polluting commercial vehicles hit with daily charges.

Drivers of private vehicles will not be affected after the CAZ is introduced. Commercial vans, buses, coaches, taxis, private hire vehicles and lorries driving in Bury which fail to meet emission standards would be affected by the plans from May 30, 2022.

Heavy goods vehicles, buses and coaches would need to pay £60 a day to drive within the zone, with vans paying £10 and taxi and private hire vehicles paying £7.50.

Failure to pay the charge will also result in a £120 fine plus the daily charge.

Private vehicles and emission efficient vehicles will not be subject to penalties within the Clean Air Zone, which will cover all 493 square miles of Greater Manchester, making it the largest such project in the UK.

Council officials have now published a plan on the policy which includes the creation or installation of new technology with 58 roadside automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) cameras in Bury. Thirty-two of these sites will be ‘replacement structures’ while 26 existing ANPR sites will be adapted for clean air zone enforcement.

Among the new structures are four sites on Bury New Road, two on Rochdale Road, Bridge Hall Lane, Bass Lane, two on Bolton Street, Bond Street, Pilkington Way, Ringley Road, Simister Lane, Sheepfoot Lane, Sandgate Road, Heys Road, Kersal Vale Road, Radcliffe New Road, Higher Lane and Walmersley Road.

Metro mayor, Andy Burnham, has said: “Coming out of the pandemic I think we’ve got to get a lot more serious about people’s health and health inequalities that we have in this city-region and across the country."