From Monday (October 23) heavy polluting vehicles will have to pay a daily £10 charge called the Toxicity Charge or T-Charge.

This is in addition to the congestion charge, so the total cost for taking some cars into London will be £21.50 a day to use London’s roads.

The T-Charge will be imposed during the same time period as the congestion charge, Monday to Friday, 7am to 6pm, excluding bank holidays and between Christmas and New Year.

The cars likely to be affected will typically be registered before 2005, but other highly polluting cars, vans, HGVs and coaches will also be targeted.

Classic cars will also be excluded, and any car manufactured before 1973 are exempt from the charge. It is estimated that roughly 10,000 vehicles will be affected.

You can check whether your car will be hit by the T-Charge here.

The penalty for non-payment is a whopping £130, although if you’re quick and pay within 14 days, it will be reduced to 14 days.

Londoners, however, are automatically registered for a generous 90% discount on the T-Charge, proving they are registered for the Congestion Charge Residents’ Discount.

And residents who pay using the Congestion Charge Auto Pay will pay £2.05 a day in total.

Blue badge holders are also excluded from the T-Charge.

The T-Charge will continue until the new Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) comes into play in April 2019.

The measures have been introduced in an attempt to clean up the capital’s air, attempting to cut the nitrogen dioxide in the air by half by 2020.

'Lethal air'

Mayor of London Sadiq Khan said: “The air in London is lethal and I will not stand by and do nothing.

“I am introducing a new T-Charge this October and subject to consultation, I want to introduce the Ultra Low Emission Zone in central London in April 2019.

"This alone will mean the capital has the toughest emission standard of any world city."

Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan

He continued: "But the scale of our air quality challenge is so big that I need to go further. I want to expand the ULEZ from 2020 for heavy vehicles such as buses, coaches and lorries so that all of London will benefit from cleaner air.

"Then from 2021, I want to expand it up to the North and South Circular roads for light vehicles, including cars and vans.

"These measures will help improve the air that millions of Londoners breathe."

Six things the T-Charge most certainly is not

Many people don’t know what the T-Charge is, so it might be useful to let people know what it definitely isn’t.

1. It is absolutely not a charge on the price of tea

There was a fear that it was an evil, tea drinkers tax along the lines of the sugar tax, but you can rest assured that your morning brew will escape a tax.

2. Nor is it the extra cost of electricity for when everyone goes to put the kettle on during the break of Coronation Street

It’s a little known phenomenon that some power stations have to go into overdrive when during the break of some shows because the nation gets up to make a cuppa.

Luckily, there will be no tax on your Corrie break tea.

3. It is not an accusation against Mr T

We "pity the fool" who thinks it is.

4. Taxis will not be receiving an extra tax

In fact, taxis are explicitly exempt from the T-Charge so your late night black cab home will not get any more expensive.

5. Unfortunately, it is not a charge on people who tax other people

Although we wish it was.

6. It is not a tax on technology

That stuff is expensive enough already.

Keep up to date with the latest news in west London via the free getwestlondon app.

You can set up your app to see all the latest news and events from your area, plus receive push notifications for breaking news.

Available to download from the App Store or Google Play for Android .