FOREIGN lorry drivers should be charged for the privilege of driving through Kent. That is the belief of Kent County Council leader Cllr Paul Carter.

Cllr Carter (Con), who is heading a multi-agency taskforce aimed at finding an alternative to Operation Stack, said the revenue raised could be used to pay for a third crossing across the Thames and improvements to the key road network throughout the county.

Cllr Carter said: "Just a £10 charge on each foreign lorry leaving the ports of Folkestone or Dover could raise £35million a year. A £20 charge would raise £70million; that would go a long way towards paying for much needed improvements."

Cllr Carter dismissed claims that such a charge would be regarded as unfair.

He said: "Foreign lorries currently get away with using our roads scot free. They pay no road fund licence and many of them avoid paying fuel duty by filling up on the Continent."

Cllr Carter said modern lorry tractor units had ranges of up to 2,000 miles and were capable of filling up in Luxembourg, and driving to Scotland and back without taking on extra fuel.

Cllr Carter said the need for a third Thames crossing, so that Continental traffic could pass through Kent into Essex without the necessity of getting on the M25, was paramount.

But Cllr Carter said charging foreign lorries was not the immediate answer to Operation Stack.

He said: "A third crossing will bring longer term improvements, but we still need to find an alternative to Stack now.

"Work is in hand. A number of sites are being surveyed to see if they could be suitable for a lorry park."