by Martin Jefferies

It will soon be cheaper to fly to Madrid than your weekly commute to Essex!

Cash-strapped drivers will have to fork out a whopping £25 each week to cross the Dartford tolls from next April.

But a quick trawl of flights available now show it costs as little as £24.35 one way to get to Spain's capital with Ryanair.

The only drawback is you have to go through the Crossing to get to Stansted - setting you back a further fiver for the return to Kent from next year.

The revelation comes as the consultation on increased charges at the controversial toll kicks in.

From tomorrow drivers and hauliers get their say on plans to increase the cost of using the Dartford Crossing.

The Department for Transport, which wants to increase the cost of a return journey by car from £3 to £5 within the next year, is set to announce a four-month consultation, running until September 23.

The cost of a single journey would rise from £1.50 to £2 just four weeks before Christmas, with another 50p rise planned next April.

Lorry drivers already struggling with the rising cost of fuel would pay £5 per journey, rising to £6 in April, compared to £3.70 at present.

There would still be no charge for motorcyclists, and all journeys between 10pm and 6am would continue to be free.

A spokesman for the Department for Transport refused to comment until the public consultation is formally announced. It is thought the announcement may be made in the House of Commons tomorrow.

Motorists are expected to be able to view the plans at the council offices in Dartford, and on the Department for Transport's website.

When the government first revealed plans to increase toll charges in October, there was a mixed reaction from Kent Online readers.

One described the plans as "outrageous" but others said they would be happy to pay more in taxes in order to protect public sector jobs.

Liam Northfield, head of media relations at Freight Transport Association, said most operators didn't have a choice to use the crossing.

He said: "We support the government in trying to alleviate congestion, and looking into a Thames crossing, but we're concerned about the scale and quick succession of the increase being proposed to pay for it, amounting to £6 for HGV's per crossing.

"Operators are held to ransom by rate increases which is why we want to see measures to alleviate congestion implemented around the crossing.

"It costs about £50 per hour for a truck to be sitting there idling in traffic."