'Sneaky' toll rises hit Britain

16th January 2007

To prove there really is no such thing as a January sale for drivers, a number of roadside price hikes have been sneaked through this month.

Booth rates have risen across the UK by as much as 60 per cent in some cases, according to the National Alli­ance Against Tolls (NAAT). Drivers on Birmingham's M6 Toll now have to pay £4 instead of Decem­ber's £3.50. Charges on the Severn Crossings - part of the M4 and M48 - have also gone up from £4.90 to £5.20.

And motorists planning to use the Clifton Suspension Bridge in Bristol will have to cough up 50p, not 30p. Meanwhile, the Tyne Tunnel, east of Newcastle-upon-Tyne, now costs £1.10 to use - up from £1. More increases are in the pipeline, including at the Dartford Crossing between Kent and Essex, where the fee is set to rise from £1 to £1.50. An NAAT spokesman said: "Tolls are an unfair charge as drivers already pay £1billion a week in taxes." A Department for Transport spokeswoman disagreed, saying: "This isn't about penalising motorists, it's about looking at local needs and pressures, such as congestion and pollution."

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