Freight operators using the Severn crossing, already the most expensive toll in the UK, will have to pay 90p more in the New Year.
The Freight Transport Association has condemned the decision to once again increase the charge for heavy goods vehicles to use this vital trade corridor. This time the increase is from £17.20 to £18.10, and the FTA claims it will make things much more difficult for businesses on both sides of the river.
Ian Gallagher, the FTA Policy Manager for Wales said:
‘This latest price hike will make life a lot tougher for hauliers who cross from England into south Wales and comes at time when companies are already struggling in the face of higher fuel costs. In an industry with notoriously tight profit margins, road freight operators often have no choice but to pass their costs on to the customer, which stokes inflation and is certainly not good news in a faltering economy.’