TRAFFIC could increase on some of Bexley's roads by nearly 250 per cent as a result of building the Thames Gateway Bridge.

The public inquiry into plans for the bridge over the Thames between Thamesmead and Beckton reopened at Charlton Athletic FC last week after its summer break.

The last weeks of the inquiry will be devoted to local and environmental opponents of the bridge.

The forecast in increased traffic, as a result of the bridge, came in evidence from Professor Phil Goodwin, an expert witness appearing on behalf of the Transport 2000.

Prof Goodwin told the inquiry, with scrutiny of TfL's figures, a completely different picture of the effects of the bridge emerge.

He said: "There will be a very serious traffic problem, substantially worse than today.".

He said the implications were serious for many more of the area's streets than those being considered for mitigation measures.

Prof Goodwin challenged TfL's claim the bridge would increase traffic by less than one per cent, saying a truer estimate was between one and 16 per cent "and much more than this for specific streets".

He said while traffic would reduce on 38 streets because of the bridge, one in 10 roads would see traffic increases of more than 100 per cent.

The professor, whose report has been paid for from the £50,000 granted by London Mayor Ken Livingstone to opponents, claimed the bridge would encourage people off buses and bikes and into cars.

He said the resulting congestion from the extra traffic would slow journey times and could lead to a loss of jobs as well as job increases.

And he painted a picture of people from north and south of the river passing each other on the bridge "on the way to jobs they would otherwise, in many cases, have taken closer to home."

The reopening of the inquiry was marked with a demonstration by environmental groups outside the venue in Floyd Road, Charlton.

And at lunchtime another objector, Jeremy Cotton, who was involved in the original East London River Crossing (ELRC) public inquiry, presented the current inquiry inspector Michael Ellison with a cake and 20 candles to mark 20 years since the opening of the ELRC inquiry.