Charity begs for £300k as first aid vans face LEZ ban

A CHARITY is begging for cash to replace its vehicles before Glasgow’s Low Emission Zone comes into force on Thursday.

St Andrew’s First Aid needs £300,000 to replace its non-LEZ compliant vehicles or face fines of £60 a day per vehicle to access its HQ in the city.

Petrol vehicles registered before 2006 and diesel vehicles registered before September 2015 will be banned from parts of the centre of Glasgow.

St Andrew’s uses eight first aid vans which will now need to be replaced. Stuart Callison, its chief executive, said: ‘We would welcome the sponsorship or support of any organisation that is able to help us continue to carry out our vital work.’

Tory Glasgow MSP Annie Wells said: ‘The SNP-Green Council must show common sense and accept the case for the charity to have an exemption.’

A council spokesman said: ‘To maximise the effectiveness of Glasgow’s LEZ, it is essential that compliance rates are as high as possible.’