Nigel Farage is urging residents to fight back against plans to restrict where they can drive across Canterbury.

The outspoken GB News presenter and Brexit standard bearer has branded plans to carve up the city into restricted driving zones as a "climate change lockdown".

His warnings follow a Twitter spat between him and Canterbury City Council leader Ben Fitter-Harding about the controversial scheme. It would see the city split up into five districts, with motorists being fined if they drive between them.

In a tweet responding to a story about the proposals, Mr Farage says: "The climate change lockdowns are coming."

But Cllr Fitter-Harding, who announced the idea in October, fired back, saying: "This problem is about solving Canterbury’s crippling congestion problem, improving journey times, creating safer, healthier neighbourhoods.

"Our medieval city was never designed for cars. What’s the problem with fixing that, please?"

However, Mr Farage told KentOnline it paints a frightening picture of China-style restrictions which will actually have a negligible affect on climate change while wrecking people's personal freedoms.

"There's absolutely no justification for it because it will not make one iota of difference to the planet, with China last year building 80 new coal-fired power stations," he said.

The former Ukip leader - who has unsuccessfully stood for Parliament seven times, including in South Thanet - is also concerned about the expansion of the London ULEZ (ultra-low emission zone) into Kent.

"Both ends of the county are being hit by this and I think it's absolutely horrific," he said.

"It paints a grim picture of a dystopian future of people constantly under mass surveillance and restricted where they can go. Yet all these cameras are not reducing violent crime which is on the increase.

"It's not even happening by stealth because it's all in plain sight. I actually think it's extremely dangerous, yet all the mainstream political parties seem to be on board with it."

Mr Farage urges KentOnline readers to "wake-up" to the threat to their liberties residents and lobby their MPs and representatives to register their objections.

"You only have to look at the Covid lockdowns and how people who refused the vaccine were punished by government," he added.

The Canterbury scheme is part of the council's new draft Local Plan to address the traffic problems in the future.

It is modelled on a system used in the Belgian city of Ghent, in which drivers would be monitored by automatic number plate reading (ANPR) cameras at entry and exit points to each zone.

Cllr Fitter-Harding, who has been working on the plan for two years, has hit back at Mr Farage saying it is not about robbing people of their personal liberties but liberating the city.

"We have a unique problem in a medieval city like Canterbury and this will work in conjunction with a new eastern bypass and much more efficient public transport," he said.

"I think there's a huge misconception about it. I don't think it draconian and it's nothing like the ULEZ congestion charge."

But the plan has also come under fire from residents and businesses in Canterbury who accuse the council of "losing the plot".

Labour group leader on the council, Cllr Dave Wilson, is also not convinced.

Speaking when the scheme was first announced, he said: "It is the worst sort of top-down imposition of a plan which has massive implications for everyone who lives in the city," he said.

"You're creating ghettos where people are locked in and can't travel elsewhere..."

Lib Dem leader Cllr Nick Eden Green added: "It will actually add to the traffic, not reduce it. That flies in the face of trying to be carbon-neutral.

"When I visit friends I don't consider which zone they are living in. It's frankly ridiculous.

"You're creating ghettos where people are locked in and can't travel elsewhere.

"Whether or not you can go to the supermarket may depend on what side of the road you live on."

A similar scheme is now being proposed in Oxford by the Lib Dem/Green Party-run county council which wants to divide the district into six zones.

Under its proposals, drivers will be allowed to leave their zone for a maximum of 100 days per year. Residents will be required to register their car details with the council who will then track their movements via smart cameras round the city.