SCRAP the Severn Bridge tolls, Liberal Democrat Assembly Members urged in a Welsh Assembly debate yesterday.

The Liberal Democrats want to abolish the “tax to enter Wales” when the bridges return to public ownership, expected to be in 2018.

Both bridges are currently managed privately but when enough cash is collected from tolls to repay construction costs and debt, they will be managed by the UK government.

The Severn Bridge tolls are the most expensive in the UK. It now costs £6.40 for a car to cross the bridge, £12.80 for a van, and £19.20 for a coach or lorry.

Scrapping the tolls will be a Lib Dem manifesto commitment in the approaching General Election.

Plaid Cymru also backed calls for responsibility for setting tolls to be devolved.

Other Gwent AMs shared their views.

John Griffiths, AM for Newport East, said that reduced tolls could improve Welsh tourism. He said: “It’s a matter of public concern that impact on Wales’s economy. There is a disincentive to visit and more English residents would find Wales more attractive if the tolls were reduced or abolished.

“The debate will intensify until 2018 and, hopefully, the Welsh government will have responsibility for the decision. There was a similar case at the Humber Bridge tolls (in Yorkshire), where a UK review wrote off £150 million of debt –- leading to reduced tolls as a result. This makes a strong case for why the tolls will hopefully be reduced ahead of 2018.”

Nick Ramsay, AM for Monmouth, said that there were two issues at hand: reducing tolls and reducing congestion.

He said: “Congestion is also an issue, particular at peak times. I would like to see devolution of tolls and a tag system for congestion, to allow more traffic through.

“However, my constituents would be uneasy with a fall in maintenance charges that would speed up the bridge’s demise, dueowed to corrosion.”

Eluned Parrott, AM for South Wales Central, said that house prices in Newport were likely to rise if tolls were abolished. She added: “By scrapping the tolls, the Liberal Democrats would be boosting the South Wales economy by around £107 million a year.”

Scrapping the tolls would save the average commuter around £1,535 a year, the Liberal Democrats claimed.