As of today, the ULEZ has expanded to include areas in Park Royal, Acton, Chiswick and Ealing Common and up to the A406 north circular.

This means that vehicles will need to meet the required emissions standards when driving within and into the expanded zone or pay a daily charge.

These rules will apply for every hour of every day, apart from Christmas.

The ULEZ was designed to help clean up London's air, with posters and banners spotted across Ealing and Hanwell today by London based parents group Mums For Lungs, in support of the zone being extended.

Expansion of the ULEZ is expected to lead to improvements in air quality in Ealing – including a potential reduction of 27% in harmful nitrogen oxide emissions, according to Ealing Council.

The effect on small businesses in Ealing

Concerns have been raised by the Chair of Pitshanger Lane traders' association about the impact of the expansion on small businesses in Ealing.

John J Martin, Chair of the Pitshanger Village Traders Association and London Borough of Ealing High Street Task Force said more time would have been welcomed to allow businesses to recover from the pandemic.

John said: "I think every small business wants to have a safer place for the future and we understand that, but given we've just come out of a pandemic it's very difficult for a number of small businesses who haven't earned any money.

"How are they expected to buy new vehicles when all they are trying to do is get their businesses back up and running?

"It's a very difficult situation for every trader out there, I see Pitshanger Lane being affected.

"There's going to be additional costs which they will have to make up for in other ways making them not as competitive, but the bigger firms will be able to afford the extra costs."

Florists are a prime example, John said, of a business which could be affected if they are unable to afford a new vehicle to make deliveries through ULEZ zones.

Concerns around future accessibility to events, such as the recent music event in Acton, were raised by John, who said people are still frightened of new variants and to use public transport in the same way they did two years ago.

He said: "People are having to re-think accessibility. It's going to take time, we could have waited a little longer and had these conversations going into the New Year so more businesses could get on their feet and feel more stable.

He added: "We will have to re-address the situation in a couple of months to see the initial impact."

Which cars do not need to pay?

Cars and vans that do not need to pay are:

• Petrol with Euro 4 engines. These are generally those first registered with the DVLA after 2005.

• Diesel with Euro 6 engines. These are generally those first registered with the DVLA after September 2015.

• Motorcycles will need to meet Euro 3 standards to comply.

Drivers can use Transport for London's online checking tool to see if their vehicle is exempt from the charge or will be required to pay.

Using the ULEZ zone does not make you exempt from paying the congestion charge too which is in central London. This costs £15 unless electric or hydrogen fuel cell powered.

You can find out more info from the TfL website.