City transport bosses have today officially launched the consultation on plans to charge high-polluting cars, lorries and vans entering Birmingham city centre.

Residents, commuters and businesses have until August 17 to comment on the controversial scheme, designed to bring dangerous air pollution levels down to legally safe limits by 2020.

Under the proposed charge, drivers with petrol cars made before 2006 and diesel cars made before 2015 could be charged between £6 and £10 per day to drive within the A4540 middle ring road.

Lorries and buses which exceed the tough emissions regulation levels will be charged up to £100 per day.

The area inside the Middle Ring Road (A4540) highlighted in green. The proposed area for a new clean air zone (CAZ) surrounding Birmingham city centre, under which vehicles responsible for pollution will be charged.

Readers have been split over the policy.

Criticism include that it will hit the poorest , those with older higher polluting cars, the hardest, and that it will impact on city centre businesses and development.

Others have welcomed it as a means of cutting the estimated 900 early deaths a year from high nitrogen dioxide levels, and groups like the Friends of the Earth want wider action to cut traffic and dangerous fumes.

Some have called for scrappage schemes to subsidise people looking to change their polluting car .

It has also been claimed that pollution will be displaced and create new dirty air hotspots, as vehicles are forced to circle the middle ring road rather than drive through the city centre.

And it is claimed bus and lorry firms will direct all their clean vehicles to Birmingham to avoid the cost, and increase pollution in other town and city centres.

Council cabinet member for transport Waseem Zaffar urged people to respond to the consulation.

"It's really important you get involved," he said.

"If we go ahead with the proposals this will be a major change in our city.

"We want to hear the positives, the negatives and any other radical changes we can bring in to tackle air pollution and create a clean air city."

The consultation takes place via the city council's Be Heard website and an online form and questionnaire. The council is also following comments via social media sites, including Twitter and Facebook using #Brumbreathes

Residents can also email cleanair@birmingham.gov.uk or write to the city council by August 17.

The responses will be reviewed and a final policy put together in September.

This will be sent to the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs for final approval in the autumn.

The new charges would then be introduced in 2020. The Government and city council face huge fines if they fail to bring pollution down to legally safe levels in 2020.