Mersey Tunnel Toll to increase

7 February 2013, 17:11 | Updated: 7 February 2013, 17:18

Councillors at Merseytravel have voted for a 10p increase for cars from April

The cash toll for 'Class 1 vehicles' will increase to £1.60 after the toll was frozen last year.

Cllr Liam Robinson, Chair of Merseytravel, said the rise was unavoidable:  “We understand that motorists will not welcome any rise, but members of the Authority decided on this step after extremely careful consideration. 

“The decision to make no change to Fast Tag charges means that many motorists will feel no adverse impact at all, and it should be welcomed by all tunnel users. Everyone can take advantage of Fast Tag and benefit from a reduced charge every time they use the tunnels.

“Local people and businesses alike can benefit from the cheaper rate.

“We were very conscious of the economic background, and acknowledge that the region is facing a challenging time, but under the Mersey Tunnels Act it is presumed that the actual tolls charged must rise in line with inflation. 

“If that were the case this time, tolls would have had to rise to £1.80, but members used their powers to restrict the increase to only 10p,” he said.

Tolls for the other vehicles wil also be going up too.