A growing number of London boroughs are rolling out higher parking charges for the most polluting vehicles in a bid to reduce emissions.

Islington Council will later this year introduce a yearly surcharge for resident parking permits on diesel vehicles, while Hackney Council is planning to align charges with CO2 emissions.

Both measures aim to encourage residents away from higher polluting modes of transport.

Islington has approved a yearly £96 bill for resident parking permits on diesel vehicles, which will begin in April. Vehicles used by carers and trades people, alongside taxis, will be among those exempt from the charge.

Islington Council's executive member for environment and transport, Cllr Claudia Webbe, said the council was 'committed to improving air quality' with diesel fumes being 'a major cause of air pollution'.

Hackney Council has proposed launching a £50 levy on parking permits for diesel vehicles over the next three years. Full charges would ultimately come into effect in 2017.

Other plans put forward by the borough include raising charges for cars built before 2001 to reflect the levels of CO2 they produce.

Cllr Feryal Demirci, Hackney's cabinet member for neighbourhoods, said: 'The proposed changes in permit charging are a clear example of how seriously we are taking the challenge of reducing the high levels of pollution in Hackney.

'It's a sobering thought that 4,300 deaths per year in London are linked to pollution, and it's of great concern that some areas of Hackney are failing to meet EU air quality levels. We hope that these measures and the growth in sustainable transport such as DriveNow, Zip Car and City Car Club, will help to make Hackney a cleaner, healthier place to live and work.'

London mayor Boris Johnson is currently consulting on plans to raise pollution restrictions in the centre of the city through an Ultra Low Emissions Zone by 2020. Accelerated introduction of low emission buses saw 300 operating in the capital at the end of last year.