Livid workers fear the expansion of London’s emission zone to the border with Kent will strip them of their jobs and much-loved hobbies.

Scaffolder and keen angler Jay Collings, from Gravesend, said he could be forced out of a job and he will have to abandon trips to fishing shops in areas now covered by the Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) as his van does not meet requirements.

He told KentOnline: “I used to visit three shops and spend an average of at least £200 a month and now none of them will be getting my business as it’s going to cost me £12.50 to get there.

“I could order, but I just have the idea to go and like to go and purchase there and then rather than ordering online and waiting once I’ve paid.”

It comes after five conservative-led councils, not including Kent County Council, launched a legal campaign earlier this year against the Mayor of London's plans.

However, the High Court ruled yesterday the zone can expand up to the Kent border, which will force drivers of older more polluting vehicles to pay to go into areas like Bexley and Bromley.

Jay is also worried he will be out of a job as his work as a scaffolder takes him all around the south-east and he will not be able to afford to pay the £12.50 daily charge.

On Sadiq Khan’s credentials as mayor, he added “he does not understand real life”.

Another man who fears he could be out of a job is Martin Withey from Dartford.

He has been a window cleaner for six years in the Orpington area of Greater London but says he will now definitely have to give up the job he loves as he will not earn enough to pay his bills.

The 37-year-old, who has a two-year-old son to support along with his partner and her 10-year-old daughter, says the expansion will cost him £465 a month.

After he pays weekly admin fees of £450 a week to his employer, this will not leave much of the £3,800 he earns a month to live off.

He said: “It won’t be worth carrying on. I won’t be able to earn enough to pay rent bills and live.

“I will have to do something else and give up the round. There’s no maybe. I will have to.”

He thinks the whole charge is unnecessary.

“We are in Kent and not London,” he added. “The pollution levels around here are not what they are in central london. I think it’s a con.”

They are not the only ones who have been forced to consider a change in recent months.

Lee Murthwaite, who owns Medway Sound Creative Space, based in Rochester, told KentOnline in March how he was forced to move his business out of London as the ULEZ had made it “near impossible” to work in the city.

The scheme was first launched by Mayor Sadiq Khan in April 2019 to help clean up London’s air and originally covered all areas within the North and South Circular roads.

When it was first introduced the zone covered the Congestion Charge area in central London, then was enlarged in October 2021. It will now expand again to the border with the home counties, including Kent.

Kent County Council leader Roger Gough has urged Mr Khan to scrap any expansion which would affect Kent residents and threatened legal action pending the outcome of the judicial review – which has now found in the mayor’s favour.

The authority said it will continue to block ULEZ warning signs from being placed on KCC’s infrastructure.

It also said it had not been contacted about the installation of ANPR cameras on its infrastructure but, if it were asked, this would be refused.

Mr Khan has consistently defended his plan, arguing it is necessary to help prevent health conditions related to air pollution and even excess deaths.

Speaking after the judicial review hearing, 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.

He applauded the High Court decision and said it would allows his office to press on with the “difficult but vital task” of cleaning up London's air and tackling the climate crisis.

On Wednesday, Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer urged the mayor to “reflect” in the wake of a by-election victory for the Conservatives in Uxbridge and South Ruislip, which he attributed to the effect of ULEZ.