Severn tolls set to rise
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• Isolls on the Severn Bridge look set to increase following the Government's appeal court victory allowing it to reimpose increased charges on the crossing.
The news has been greeted with regret by the professional associations. Frank Cook, regional controller for the Freight Transport Association's south western region said he was profoundly disappointed with the judgement, particularly in light of the FTA's evidence to the public inquiry into the proposed increases back in 1984.
The court of appeal overturned last December's High Court decision that the Government acted unlawfully in imposing the increases. Tolls rose from 20p to 50p for cars and from 40p to £1 for lorries in June last year but reverted to the old levels on December 14 when the high court ruled against the Government.
The Road Haulage Association said increases in toll rates will increase haulage costs and eventually raise the price of everything in the shops. "We are totally opposed to tolls on the motorway and trunk road network and will continue to campaign against them," said an RHA spokesman.
Keith Griffiths, chairman of the standing conference of South Wales county councils said after the hearing that they would seek leave to appeal to the House of Lords to overturn the decision.
He said: "We are bitterly disappointed because any increase in tolls will impair advances now being made to the South Wales economy. It will not help us at all."
A spokesman for the CBI in Wales, which led the campaign for the second Severn crossing, said: "We are less concerned about the levels of tolls than we are with delays and congestion. Our members tell us they would rather pay a toll and suffer no delay so we have concerned all our efforts on improving traffic management at the existing bridge and have lobbied hard and successfully for a second crossing."