FLEET drivers using ABS courtesy cars now have to sign an agreement permitting ABS to deduct any congestion charges from their credit card.

The measures, introduced in a bid to prevent ABS from being wrongly charged, could save the company up to £1,000 a month. Alan Hodgkinson, network director at ABS said: 'There is massive potential here for accident repair centres to find themselves out of pocket.

'It is possible for the standard £5 London congestion charge to mount up to £120 with penalties if it is not paid within 28 days. With processing, the real cost to the accident repair centre is nearer £180. This must be passed on to the customer.'