Half of all cars have been banned from the streets of Paris today in a bid to tackle the city's dangerous pollution levels.
Only motorists whose cars have odd-numbered licence plates will be allowed to drive into Paris' Il-de-France area, while tomorrow, if the restrictions remain in place, it will be the turn of motorists with even-numbered registration plates.
Foreign cars are also affected by the legislation; however, electric and hybrid cars, taxis, buses, emergency vehicles and cars carrying three or more people are exempt from the ruling.
Ministers instigated the legislation after air pollution exceeded safe limits for five days in Paris and the surrounding areas. The smoggy conditions in the city have been caused by the weather, which has prevented pollution from dispersing.
Those found to be flouting the rules will be hit with a small fine of 22 euros (£18) and around 700 police officers have been deployed to catch motorists driving with the wrong number plates.
The news comes just over a year after the Mayor of Paris announced the city was considering banning all cars more than 17 years old in an effort to cut pollution levels.
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