PLANS to push up Dartford Crossing charges for car drivers by 50 per cent have been condemned by organisations and individuals across Kent.

The Government is planning to increase single crossing fees for cars from £1 to £1.50, saying it needs to tackle increasing congestion.

The proposals also mean pushing up charges for vans from £1.80 to £2 and lorries from £2.90 to £4.

The Government plans to bring the new charges into effect in January, 2008.

The proposals, announced by transport minister Dr Stephen Ladyman, have been widely condemned by motorists and politicians.

Geoff Dossetter, a spokesman for the Freight Transport Association, said: “The M25 is one of the most important motorways in the country, and collecting tolls at Dartford adds to the prospect of interrupting the smooth running of an extremely busy stretch of road.

"We should have scrapped the tolls completely when they paid for the construction costs of the crossing some four years ago.”

The new system involves increasing daytime costs but scrapping charges from 10pm-6am.

Users would also receive a discount if they paid using the Dart Tag electronic charging system. For cars this would keep the cost down to the existing non-Dart Tag price of £1 per crossing.

Dartford Labour MP, Dr Howard Stoate, said: “I am not prepared to accept the retention of the tolls unless the Government is prepared to ring-fence the income for local transport projects.

"As ministers have consistently refused to do this there is no way I can accept these charges, or indeed the continued use of the tolls.”

Dr Stoate’s consultation with local residents earlier this year, showed that 45 per cent believed the tolls should be abolished.

Dr Ladyman says the new charges are needed to stop the queues worsening. He added: "The crossing struggles to cope with the volume of traffic for much of the time, leading to long queues.

"As traffic increases, the queues will get worse, so we need to act. We have removed the night time charges when traffic is much lighter. This is in line with our desire to see more freight moving at night.

“I have requested a study of how we can best address longer term traffic pressures, including a possible new crossing.”

The planned charges have been condemned as “outrageous” by a leading Kent county councillor Keith Ferrin, the KCC cabinet member for highways.

He said drivers were already being penalised with little benefit for Kent and added: “The Dartford Crossing already makes £50million profit for the Government every year.

“All Kent gets out of it is permission to borrow a measly £1million for transport schemes in North Kent Thameside - which costs us.

"The 50p increase the Government is proposing is totally outrageous. This shows what little regard they have for Kent and Essex taxpayers.”

Last year, the Dartford Messenger launched its Taking Its Toll campaign demanding a portion of the toll fees should be returned to the town to help battle congestion and pollution created by the Crossing. Our newspaper in March presented a petition calling for this to transport minister Dr Ladyman.

Now, the newspaper has resurrected its campaign: this time, to oppose the Government’s plans for a 50 per cent hike in crossing fees.

In an petition through Kent Online, the newspaper is gathering names from across the county of people who are demanding the Government re-think its plans to increase the toll charges. This petition will be handed to Dr Ladyman in December.