News

Welsh hauliers predict the latest toll rises on the Severn Bridge and Second Severn Crossing will hit businesses in Cardiff. The warning comes as tolls for lorries climbed 60p on New Year's Day to £15.30. Car drivers pay £5.10, an increase of 20p. The tolls are not paid on leaving Wales but drivers have to pay to return. Vincent Brickley, director at Tandem Transport, Caerphilly, points out that in the future there could be three separate charges for vehicles wanting to enter Cardiff. Road pricing  is planned for the city centre and there are toll plans on the M4 relief road around Newport.

"No-one is going to come here," says Brickley. "We have to pay these index-linked rises year after year - it would be nice if we could get rate rises like that from our customers! It seems that they are targeting lorries when we are the ones keeping the economy going." Other hauliers say the rise is "exploitative" as they have to pay because it takes so long to go round the bridge.