LOCAL MP Howard Stoate has told Parliament that his constituents should pay little or no Dartford Crossing toll charges.

The Dartford MP spoke out in the House of Commons on Tuesday after calling for an adjournment debate with the transport minister Stephen Ladyman to protest at the Government's proposed toll increases.

Dr Stoate said: "I would urge the minister to ensure that local drivers are exempted from the toll charges either completely or very substantially."

He added he would not support the proposed increase or any toll charge for Dartford residents unless it was guaranteed that the bulk of the revenue from the tolls would be spent on local transport projects.

Dr Ladyman said a public consultation on the increases would start in December and run for 12 weeks and the Department of Transport would keep an open mind.

But he warned: "If we completely remove the charges, the situation would be disastrous in traffic terms."

Dr Stoate added: “My constituency office and local papers such as the Dartford Messenger, which is now leading a campaign against the proposed 50p price hike, have been innundated with messages in the last two weeks from angry residents complaining about the Department for Transport’s proposals.”

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