Those with the highest carbon dioxide emissions would see charges more than double from April, under plans drawn up by Reading Borough Council.

The sliding scale of tariffs would apply to parking permits and on-street meters, but not yet to car parks.

The new fees are due to be considered by the council’s policy committee on 20 January.

Councillor John Ennis, in charge of climate strategy and transport, said: “We have seen similar schemes successfully introduced by councils around the country.

“We believe it is an effective way of helping to reduce the number of high emission vehicles, while improving air quality, benefitting health and helping achieve our ambitions to be a net zero borough.”

All petrol and diesel vehicles would pay at last 20% more than at present, a council report said.

A smaller Ford Focus might cost £1.20 to park for an hour, while a BMW X7 diesel could be charged £3.40, according to the tariff table.

Electric vehicles would face no immediate increases, but could pay more in future due to their particulate emissions.

On-street charges would be calculated by new payment machines, after drivers enter their vehicles’ registration details.

At the same time, the council wants to reduce the number of machines from 168 to 75, as well as allowing more card payments and ending paper tickets.

Critics have previously said carbon-based parking charges penalise less wealthy vehicle buyers and do not reflect more harmful pollutants such as nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and particulates.

Reading has previously exceeded UK and World Health Organisation limits for NO2.

The borough council said it would consider the benefits of either a combined weight and emissions scheme or a size-based tariff in future.

A public consultation is planned before any charges are introduced.

Visibility in several areas was reported to be zero in the early hours of Friday, disrupting flights, trains and road transport.

More than 150 flights have been delayed and dozens of trains are running behind schedule due to bad weather conditions, reports say.

This is a recurring problem in northern India every winter, where low temperatures between December and January trap pollutants close to the ground – which affects visibility – making travel difficult and the air hazardous.

The air quality index in Delhi was above 400 in several areas, according to the state-run Safar website. This is more than 25 times the safe limit set by the World Health Organization (WHO).

Authorities in the capital have brought back pollution control measures, which include a ban on construction and demolition activities, and school classes going online.

Video and photos from Delhi and nearby cities showed a blanket of fog covering roads and farms and obscuring buildings.

The Delhi airport has issued an advisory warning passengers of possible disruptions due to low visibility.

“While landings and take offs continue at Delhi airport, flights that are not CAT III compliant may get affected,” the advisory read. CAT III is a system which allows planes to land during conditions of poor visibility.

According to flight tracking website flightradar24, departures at Delhi airport were delayed by more than 30 minutes and arrivals by almost 20 minutes.

Several passengers took to social media to complain of chaos at the airport.

“No display of boarding gate and it seems no one knows the exact status,” a user wrote on X (formerly twitter).

Meanwhile 26 trains to the city are running late due to fog, the Indian Railways said.

India’s weather department has predicted light showers over the weekend, which are expected to improve visibility conditions.

On Wednesday, the air quality was 35 times over the safe limit set by the World Health Organization (WHO), leaving residents complaining of breathing problems, as well as itching in their eyes and throat.

Authorities have urged people, especially children and the elderly, to stay indoors as much as possible, while doctors recommend wearing a mask.

But Frank Hammes, global chief executive of air technology company IQAir, warns this is just a short term measure – and much more needs to be done.

“Alarming air pollution levels are a public health pandemic,” he told the BBC, explaining how toxic air impacts everything from mortality to IQ levels.

“This is going to have a much bigger impact on public health than Covid-19.”

Every winter, Delhi and nearby states face high pollution due to low wind speeds, vehicle emissions and the burning of crop remains and firewood.

According to IQAir, a Swiss air quality index, pollution in parts of Delhi surpassed the 550 mark on Wednesday morning, far exceeding even the “hazardous” level of 300.

London, in comparison, had a level of 26 early on Wednesday.

The Air Quality Index (AQI) measures the level of tiny particles in the air, also known as PM 2.5 – which Mr Hammes explains is “the most dangerous pollutant” and the “only determinant” for calculating pollution levels.

“It causes breathing difficulties, asthma attacks, heart and lung issues that send people rushing to emergencies,” he said.

The Delhi government reintroduced strict pollution control measures on Tuesday, less than two weeks after the country’s top court allowed them to be eased.

As per the curbs, which fall under stage four of the Graded Response Action Plan (Grap), most schools have shifted to hybrid mode, all construction and demolition activities are banned, while the entry of lorries and heavy vehicles, except those carrying essential goods, has been prohibited.

Manish Adhikari, a resident, told news agency ANI that it has now become difficult to survive the winter in Delhi with constantly rising pollution.

Another resident, Bhagat Singh, also expressed his frustration.

“Pollution has become an incurable disease, especially for Delhi. There is no solution to it,” he said.