The ULEZ-free road in London where motorists are offering homeowners £100 a month for parking

It’s an unassuming one-mile stretch of road largely consisting of detached and semi-detached houses.

But Moor Lane and Bridge Road in Chessington, on the very edge of London, has become a focus point of the furore surrounding ULEZ (Ultra Low Emission Zone).

The road, in the south-west of the capital, is one of the few corridors within London's boundaries that will be charge-free when ULEZ expands to the suburbs on Tuesday, requiring a £12.50 daily fee from anyone in a vehicle that doesn't meet minimum emissions standards.

Motorists travelling along Moor Lane, which becomes Bridge Road, do not have to pay the fee, but should they turn off at any stage – such as to access Chessington North train station – they will immediately enter the ULEZ area. The only way to avoid being charged is to drive to the Bridge Road roundabout and go back the same way.

And the determination of some motorists who want to access the ULEZ area but not pay the fee is such that homeowners in Moor Lane and Bridge Road are now reporting they have been offered £100 a month to park on their driveways.

Vispi Irani, 68, of Bridge Road, told PA: "I think it’s ridiculous. We don't have to pay it on the road where we live, but I'm planning on changing my car, so I won't have to pay it for the others.

"A chap came round and put notes through my and my neighbours' doors. He was offering £100 a month to let him park on our drive so he could get around paying the charge."

She added: "We have a big drive so I gave him a call, but he didn't answer."

Meanwhile, a Chessington business owner said being located on the border of the expanded zone had left his staff in a "no-win situation".

Read more: Sadiq Khan accuses government of 'mock anger' as he defends ULEZ to the hilt

Tony Oak, 46, has run a waste clearance firm in the area for three years. His business is 100m outside the new ULEZ area, but said all four of his employees will have to travel through it to get to work, and cannot afford to update their cars.

He told PA: "My staff will have to pay £12.50 every day they come to work. That’s about £4,000 a year. They feel they are effectively working an extra hour for nothing. One of my employees is considering working elsewhere because of the added cost.

"We're completely surrounded by the zone, it's a no-win situation."

London mayor Sadiq Khan has been under pressure over his controversial expansion scheme, but insisted in an interview with The Sunday Times he'll be on the "right side of history" amid climate change.

To comply with ULEZ standards, petrol cars must generally have been first registered after 2005, while most diesel cars registered after September 2015 are also exempt from the charge.

Watch: Sadiq Khan accuses government of 'weaponising air pollution'

In response to the expansion, Transport for London (TfL) is running a £160m scheme enabling people or organisations with non-compliant cars to claim grants.

TfL says nine out of 10 cars seen driving in outer London on an average day are compliant.

Separate figures obtained by the RAC show more than 690,000 licensed cars in the whole of London are likely to be non-compliant. This does not take into account other types of vehicles or those which enter London from neighbouring counties.