Mersey bridge tolls slammed

LABOUR Parliamentary candidate Nick Bent has condemned the Coalition Government for pressing ahead with road tolls for Mersey bridges while cancelling tolls for a far more expensive road scheme in Southern England.
Last week, the Government announced it is scrapping its plan for new road tolls on a £1.5 billion scheme to improve and widen a 25 mile stretch of the A14 road near Cambridge.
Mr Bent (pictured) said: “Treasury sources delighted local campaigners by saying all the work would be paid for by central government – the planned introduction of tolls is being dropped completely.
“Yet here in the North West, the far cheaper £600 million project to build the Mersey Gateway bridge is still subject to toll charges of up to £3 each way. And the existing Silver Jubilee Bridge in Runcorn will also be subjected to tolls for the first time.
“It is wrong that Warrington people face a damaging double-whammy of two new road tolls plus increased traffic chaos in the town centre as hard-pressed motorists seek to avoid the new charges introduced by the Tory-led Government.
“The Labour Party believes a similar U-turn should be made on the Mersey bridges – why should Southern infrastructure yet again take priority over vital North West projects?
“Before the last election the local Tory MP posed with posters saying ‘no tolls’ but his south-obsessed Government is pressing ahead with damaging and unfair tolls on both Mersey bridges. Cameron and Osborne should think again.”