HAULIERS have joined a call to suspend the tolls at Dartford Crossing to investigate the long delays and queues.

The demand comes from members of the Freight Transport Association (FTA), who say the tolls are wasting of time and money.

Ray Murphy, director at Nordic Freight, in Lowfield Street, Dartford, said: "There should be a suspension. You expect delays at the crossing, particularly at peak times, but the tolls cause even more.

"At peak times, it would take us half-an-hour to get from Junction 3 of the M25 at Swanley to the crossing. Anyway, now that the tunnel and bridge have been paid for, I don’t think there should be any more tolls."

Glyn Hockey, managing director of Supply Chain Support, at Crossways, Dartford, said: "There needs to be some sort of breathing space to solve this problem. Our lorries make at least 40 journeys a day, seven days a week, through the crossing and the average delays can add up to 15 hours a day."

Louisa Perry, the FTA’s South East regional policy manager, said: "Congestion costs the UK industry £20 billion each year and we could easily cut that by ensuring one of the UK’s key trade routes has no artificial blockages.

"We should see how congestion can be eased by suspending the tolls at Dartford. The country cannot afford to see costs artificially raised because vehicles have to stop to pay the tolls."

The Department for Transport says the booths perform an important safety role in controlling demand and speed of vehicles at the crossing. A spokesman said: "Every effort is made to get traffic through as quickly as possible."