The expansion of the ULEZ zone across Richmond borough is set to go ahead within weeks after a High Court legal challenge failed today - Friday.

A group of five Conservative-led councils have lost their legal challenge against Mayor of London Sadiq Khan's plans to launch the scheme on August 29.

The scheme will impose a charge of £12.50 per day on older polluting vehicles, which are estimated at around one in 10 of those on roads in outer London.

Richmond's Lib-Dem Council and local MPs have argued for a delay in the expansion of the ULEZ given the cost of living crisis.

They have also argued that the scrappage scheme to help people and businesses to buy new less polluting cars should be improved.

Cameras associated with the ULEZ scheme have already been installed at junctions across the area.

The outer London boroughs of Bexley, Bromley, Harrow and Hillingdon along with Surrey County Council launched legal action to block expansion of the ULEZ out to the M25.

The implementation of the scheme has been blamed for Labour's failure to win Uxbridge in the recent Parliamentary by-election.

The Tory councils had argued the mayor lacked the legal power to order the expansion of the zone by varying existing regulations. They also argued there was an 'unfair and unlawful' approach to collecting views on the plans.

In a ruling on Friday, Mr Justice Swift dismissed the councils' case.

The introduction of ULEZ was championed by Boris Johnson when he was the London mayor, however the Conservatives now oppose efforts to expand its reach.

Responding to the ruling, the Conservative Party's London mayor candidate Susan Hall said: "While it is a shame the High Court did not find the Ulez expansion to be unlawful, there is no denying that Sadiq Khan's plans will have a devastating impact on families and businesses across the city.

"If I am elected Mayor, I will stop the Ulez expansion on day one and set up a £50 million pollution hotspots fund to tackle the issue where it is, instead of taxing people where it isn't."

The London Mayor, Sadiq Khan, welcomed the High Court ruling as a 'landmark decision'.

He said: "The decision to expand the Ulez was very difficult and not something I took lightly, and I continue to do everything possible to address any concerns Londoners may have."

The Lib-Dem leader of Richmond Council, Cllr Gareth Roberts, accused the Tory councils of wasting hundreds of thousands of pounds of public money on what he called a party political legal action.

And the Council's Transport lead, Cllr Alexander Ehmann, said: "I hope there will now be some investigation into the amount of taxpayer money wasted on prosecuting and having to defend this - as I described it some time back - 'legal folly'. 

"Its purpose was only to exploit a political fissure that Tories used for perceived electoral gain."

Lib-Dem London Assembly Member and Transport spokesperson, Caroline Pidgeon, said: "We support action to clean up London's air, but this must be done with adequate financial support to help people through any changes.

"We will continue to push Sadiq Khan to introduce a more generous scrappage scheme and for a longer lead in time for the scheme to be introduced."

RAC head of roads policy Nicholas Lyes said: "We encourage the Mayor and the Government to get around the table and take a more strategic and unified approach to introducing the new zone.

"While the principle of cleaning up London's air is the right one, it has come at a time where drivers can ill afford to replace their vehicles during a cost-of-living crisis.

"We'd very much like to see additional support given to certain keyworkers, both inside the capital and in neighbouring counties, who depend on their vehicles to help them switch to cleaner ones as affordably as possible."