Cheshire East has made a U-turn on plans to fine drivers who sit in stationary vehicles with their engines running saying it would be too expensive to enforce.

A year ago the highways and transport committee voted to adopt legal powers to crack down on the polluting practice.

But at Thursday's meeting of the highways and transport committee, councillors voted to reverse that decision with chair Craig Browne (Alderley Edge, Ind) saying: "The decision the committee made 12 months ago was against officer recommendation but also outside of budget as well."

The matter had first been brought before the council by the late Cllr Les Gilbert with the primary aim of focusing on drivers who put children's health at risk by sitting at the school gates with their cars pumping out polluting exhaust fumes.

Richard Hibbert, head of strategic transport and parking, told yesterday's meeting the regulations around when engine idling is and is not permitted are open to interpretation and those authorities which had adopted the powers had issued very few fines.

The committee was told it would cost between £75k and £80k to set up the process and there would be an annual recurring cost.

Mr Hibbert said there is no budget available to fund this and 'little likelihood of the fine income from £20 fixed penalty notices meeting the ongoing costs let alone set-up costs'.

Cllr Laura Crane (Sandbach, Lab) said: "In an ideal world I think we should take these powers on."

"In an ideal world I think we should take these powers on" - Cllr Laura Crane. (Photo: Cheshire East Council)

But she challenged anyone who pressed for the powers to be adopted now to explain what could be cut from the highways budget to pay for it.

"Taking on these powers leads to an expectation that we will enforce and we are not going to be in a position to do that adequately," she said.

But Willaston councillor Cllr Allen Gage (Con), argued: "We understood and accepted at the time, when we voted this through a year ago, we did not have the financial clout to put behind it to enforce it but we thought, as a token, it was a significant statement of this council's desire and intent for fumes to not be around primary schools."

He added he didn't see in the legislation that there was any financial commitment involved to adopt the powers.

Cllr Crane proposed the recommendation to 'set aside the opportunity to adopt additional legislative powers' to fine drivers for engine idling, and this was seconded by Cllr Browne.

Councillors agreed the recommendation by 12 votes to one.

The council will continue with its programme of educating drivers about engine idling.