Embassies owe £50m C-charge fines as US tops list of those 'insulting every Londoner'

The amount of money owed by foreign embassies in unpaid congestion charge fines is set to break the £50 million barrier this month.

Transport for London confirmed the bill reached £49.4 million this week. More than 150 embassies have outstanding penalty charge notices dating back up to eight years.

The diplomats insist the charge is a tax, rather than a charge for a service, and therefore they have immunity. The US embassy owes the most - £4.9 million on more than 45,000 notices since the charge was introduced in 2003.

Russia is next with £4.3 million, then Japan on £3.5 million, followed by Germany with £3.4 million. The scrapping of the Western extension should reduce the problem by removing a large number of embassies from the C-charge zone including the French, Greek and Ukrainian missions.

Mayor Boris Johnson insisted he would pursue the debts and negotiations have seen some embassies start to pay, having previously refused.

But he has been criticised for failing to write to the heads of state of those who won't pay, and has referred to the charge as a "tax" on more than one occasion, giving credibility to the exemption argument. British diplomats pay to use toll roads abroad.

Lib-Dem London Assembly member Caroline Pidgeon said the embassies were "insulting each and every Londoner", and the money could buy 260 new buses or be used to reduce fare rises.

TfL said: "The charge is for a service and is not a tax. This means that diplomats are not exempt from paying it. Three quarters of embassies in London do pay it, but a stubborn minority refuse to do so."

Embassies owing more than £1 million

US £4.9 million
Russia £4.3 million
Japan £3.5 million
Germany £3.4 million
Nigeria £2.5 million
India £1.7 million
Sudan £1.5 million
Ghana £1.4 million
Poland £1.4 million
Spain £1.2 million
France £1.1 million
Greece £1.1 million