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Avoided: The Beast did not face a fine because its registration number was obscured by other cars.
Barack Obama has been landed with a £120 fine for not paying the congestion charge on his recent state visit to London.
The charge was levied on the U.S. President’s motorcade after his visit in May – but Obama’s own limousine, nicknamed the ‘Beast’, escaped a fine as roadside cameras were unable to capture a picture of the number plate.
The unpaid fine is part of more than £50million owed by diplomatic missions in the capital.
London Mayor Boris Johnson spoke to President Obama during his visit to ask him to pay the £10 congestion charge for each of the vehicles in the presidential motorcade.
But even though the US Embassy has refused to comply, only one of the cars in the convoy was issued with a fine.
The Beast, President Obama’s armour-plated limousine, escaped a fine because congestion charge cameras were unable to record its number plate as it was travelling slowly, close to other vehicles in the motorcade.
Figures released by the Foreign Office yesterday show the U.S. has now racked up more than £5million in 45,005 unpaid congestion charge fees since the scheme’s introduction in 2003.
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