THE real-life cost of penalty charges for not paying a fee to enter the London congestion charge has been revealed to Parliament.

A vehicle from the Department for Education and Skills incurred a penalty of £368 for a single offence related to congestion charging.

Fines for non-payment start at £50, but rise dramatically with time until a payment is made.

George Osborne, Conservative MP for Tatton and Shadow Chief Secretary to the Treasury, who asked for the figures, was also told that total charge payments since its inception were £5,300.