London's congestion charge will no longer apply at night, under plans designed to boost the capital's hospitality sector and night-time economy.

Transport for London announced that from February 21, there will be no charges after 6pm, and operating hours on weekends and bank holidays will reduce to midday-6pm.

In addition, the daily £15 charge will be suspended from Christmas Day until January 3, in a bid to support families and visitors over the festive period - often a time of increased rail engineering work.

The changes were announced following a 10-week consultation that saw nearly 10,000 responses.

Transport for London says the changes will "support London's culture, hospitality and night-time businesses, which have been some of the hardest hit during the pandemic, and also ensure gains made in reducing car dependency over more than 15 years are not lost.".

The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said: “The Government insisted on proposals to widen the level and scope of the Congestion Charge last year as a condition of TfL's emergency funding agreement - which was only needed because of the pandemic and the collapse in fares revenue. These new changes strike a balance between reducing traffic and congestion and supporting London's economy and residents and helping ensure our recovery is a green and sustainable one. The removal of the evening charge will support the capital's culture, hospitality and night-time businesses which have struggled so much, as well as encouraging people to walk, cycle and use public transport. It’s vital we do not encourage a car-led recovery and replace one public health crisis with another due to filthy air.”

Alex Williams, TfL’s Director of City Planning, said: “As London continues its recovery from the pandemic it is essential that we encourage people to travel sustainably. These changes are targeted at reducing traffic at the busiest times where we have seen a long-term trend in high levels of car travel. We expect to see growth in the number of people walking, cycling and using public transport in central London as a result. The removal of the charge in the evening will help shift workers who perform essential roles at the heart of the city and support London’s vibrant cultural and hospitality sectors who are still recovering from the pandemic.”

The Mayor's target is for 80 per cent of trips made in the capital in 2041 to be by walking, cycling or public transport, and the target for central London is 95 per cent of trips to be made by these sustainable types of travel.

The new weekend charging hours are targeted at reducing congestion at the busiest times. Weekend car and private hire traffic before the pandemic was higher than during the week and made up 70 per cent of traffic in the charging zone on a Saturday and Sunday. It is estimated there will be an increase in sustainable travel compared to before the pandemic, with around 8,000 new public transport trips and 3,000 walking and cycling trips each day on the weekend.