PLANS to charge up to £100 for vehicles entering Southampton could hurt the Isle of Wight's economy, Red Funnel bosses said.

Port bosses, taxi drivers, and haulage companies are looking to revolt over plans charge up to £100 a day to enter the city.

Southampton City Council want to bill commercial vehicles as soon as they enter the city’s boundaries, if they don’t meet emission criteria.

But companies, including Red Funnel, say this could kill the economy, resulting in trade moving elsewhere to avoid the charge.

Speaking at a meeting of the city council’s overview and scrutiny management committee, a representative from Red Funnel claimed the company has already lost business to Portsmouth, due to the threat of the charge.

They said: "It will affect a third of our business if the charge is brought in. It will also hurt both the Isle of Wight’s and the mainland’s economy."

Itchen MP Royston Smith also claims that the charge would 'trash the docks beyond recognition', putting thousands of jobs at risk.

He added: "The cost on businesses transporting from the docks will be huge. If the goods that are being transported are cheap, then that £100 impacts more than if the items are expensive – this will affect the cost of items in shops."

But council chiefs remain defiant, claiming the chargeable zone follows government guidance in reaching the target in the “quickest possible” time.

Southampton is one of five cities in the UK under pressure from Westminster to improve its air quality by 2020 – or face a massive EU fine.

The city needs to reduce its nitrogen dioxide level to below 40 micrograms per cubic air metre. It is currently 42 micrograms.

The council says more than 100 deaths a year in Southampton are attributed to long-term exposure to air pollution.

However, port and taxi bosses claimed a zone is not needed, and that levels are reducing at a fast enough rate without it.