BRIDGE users gathered on Monday morning to protest at the level of fines being issued to people who had used the Warburton Toll Bridge — especially those who say they had done everything possible to pay the toll.
Motorists are increasingly angry after receiving penalty notices weeks or even months after crossing. Many claim the new cashless system is confusing and poorly enforced.
The bridge now runs a cashless system where drivers must pay £1 (motorcycles free) by midnight the following day, unless they have an automatic account set up. Official signs state the charge applies “beyond this point” under the Rixton & Warburton Bridge Byelaws 2024, with warnings that failure to pay may result in further liability, but with no actual website or phone number given.
However, lots of users say they had no idea payments had failed until multiple fines started arriving.
Rachel Alexander, a regular commuter from Lancashire to Altrincham, said she has already paid five fines but keeps receiving more.
“I’ve paid five already, yet the fines just kept coming. It made me realise something was seriously wrong with the system. It feels like a complete mess — they’re relying on technology that clearly isn’t working properly.”
Rachel added: “It’s really upsetting getting these envelopes through the door all the time. I’ve got a long commute to work, and now I’m facing £166 in penalties on top of everything. I’ve basically paid twice over. It’s just not fair.”
Tom Shanks, a local resident, questioned both the level of the toll and Peel Holdings’ record on maintaining the bridge and surrounding roads.
“They bought the canal, the bridges and the roads, and they were meant to look after them properly, but this stretch was left full of potholes for years,” he said. “They’ve finally resurfaced it and it’s much better, but that should have been done ten or twenty years ago. Now they’ve hiked the charge instead.”
Tom continued: “They should scrap the charge. They’ve had decades to maintain this road properly and didn’t bother. It’s completely wrong.”
Brenda Williams, admin of the Warburton Toll Bridge Action Group, highlighted the strain on regular users, especially families and elderly residents.
“There’s an elderly lady living on one side whose 90-something mum lives on the other. She crosses three times a day just to take her meals,” she said. “It only used to cost 25p — now it’s outrageous.”
She added: “Even the new £1 toll is too much for people on low wages. That works out at £10 a week for anyone crossing five times. That’s money that could put food on the table for their kids. And now fines from December and January are still turning up in May.”
Councillor Graham Gowland, who joined around two dozen protesters at the bridge on Monday, said the fines have made an already unpopular toll even more resented.
“People were already unhappy about the new toll, but the way Peel has handled enforcement has left them furious,” he said. “It’s not about people refusing to pay — it’s that the system is hard to get to grips with.”
Cllr Gowland noted that many users who previously crossed for free when the toll booth was unmanned are now forgetting to pay online because there is no barrier. Frequent daily users have also been caught out, including some who had set up accounts that later developed problems, and even exempt users who should never have been charged.
The Warburton Toll Bridge is a key link between Cheshire and Greater Manchester. Frustration over both the charges and the payment system continues to grow among local commuters.
A spokesperson for the Manchester Ship Canal Company said: “This is a significant modernisation of the bridge operation and an adjustment for users.
“The approach we are taking on enforcement is proportionate and fair as it balances the responsibility we have to drivers who have paid the tolls, or those who have only had minor missed payments.”
