Toll bridge fine issued to driver 270 miles away

A driver said he was left "perturbed" after receiving a fine for crossing a toll bridge more than 270 miles from his home despite insisting he had never been near it.

Graham Parsons, from Plymouth, Devon, received an unpaid toll charge for using the Warburton Toll Bridge, which links Cheshire and Greater Manchester.

His case is one of a number raised by motorists who have complained about the bridge's payment and enforcement system.

Peel Ports said there had been "some genuine customer experience issues", but the evidence did "not indicate a systemic failure of the system".

The bridge previously cost 12p a crossing, but the charge was increased to £1 following refurbishment works in recent years.

Manned toll booths were removed and replaced with an automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) camera system.

Mr Parsons told BBC Politics North West he received an unpaid toll charge in early June for a crossing in March.

"I put my Sherlock Holmes hat on because I didn't realise that I'd ever been near the bridge," he said.

"And in fact, I had never been near the bridge because it's 271 miles from where I live. So I was quite perturbed and annoyed."

He appealed and discovered the camera had misread his registration plate, which differed by one character from the vehicle photographed.

Two weeks later, he received a second letter relating to another crossing in April.

Mr Parsons then submitted a subject access request to parking operator Excel Parking, after which the charges were cancelled.

He said he was "lucky" to know what steps to take and highlighted that a Facebook group where others had been through similar experiences with the bridge had helped him.

"I thought 'this is bad, I need to get it resolved' but I have a lot more sympathy for local people that have to cross that bridge on multiple occasions," he said.

He also raised concerns about his personal information being released by the DVLA.

The DVLA said it was "sorry for any distress caused".

"In this case, the company that requested the information has confirmed the notices were issued in error and has cancelled the charges," a spokesperson said.

Russell Barton, from Lowton, often makes one-way journeys across the bridge, visiting his elderly parents on his way home from work.

He received an unpaid toll charge in June for a crossing in March despite having paid the charge.

"Luckily I don't often delete emails, and sure enough there's the receipt that I paid the £1 crossing on the day they say I didn't," he said.

He said the system was "not fit for purpose".

"I appreciate they spent a lot of money on the bridge and that needs to be paid for somehow," he said.

But he said the way the charges increase was "not fair" and "not proportionate".

"I think a lot of people will just pay it to get it out of their hair, or they haven't kept the receipt.

"I won't do that, I'll go to court and I'll win."

He added that if the company "can't sort their own house out, then it must be regulated".

Connor Rand, Labour MP for Altrincham and Sale West, said he had been "inundated" with messages about the bridge, which is partially in his constituency.

"It's clear whatever is happening isn't working - it's broken at the moment," he said.

He said he wanted Peel Ports to "come to the table, take the issue seriously and work to solve them in a way that works for residents".

"What I'll be saying to the transport minister and the department is that if they don't take those issues seriously then we might need to look at what other action we can take - including parliamentary action - to solve the issues," he said.

Meanwhile, Warrington North's Labour MP Charlotte Nichols - whose constituency also partially includes the bridge - said she had met Peel Ports after receiving complaints from residents and had been told the company would investigate.

In a statement, Peel Ports said it recognised the "variety of concerns" users have about the operation of the toll enforcement system.

It said: "We take all feedback seriously and are reviewing the examples that have been provided, in conjunction with Excel Parking who are responsible for the number plate recognition system and the toll charges.

"We and Excel will continue to investigate any specific examples provided and it will be for Excel to implement changes from any lessons learned. Our focus remains on delivering a fair, proportionate and transparent service for all users."

It said that while there had been "some genuine customer experience issues", its assessment found no evidence of a "systemic failure" of the scheme.

And it said where an issue had been found due to an error it had "acted appropriately, including issuing payments retrospectively where justified and upholding appeals where the evidence supports this".

Excel Parking has been approached for comment.

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