CAMPAIGNERS calling for tolls at the Dartford Crossing to be scrapped have staged a protest.

In a demonstration organised by the UK Independence Party (UKIP), 15 campaigners staged a two-hour protest on the bridge above Tunnel Approach Road.

Banners directing drivers to register their support at the official protest website scrapthetolls.com received more than 70 hits within hours of the event.

Campaigners claim the tolls are illegal under EU law and put the health of thousands of children at risk due to pollution caused by queuing traffic.

When the first tunnel was built in 1969, the Government promised to scrap the tolls once enough cash had been raised to cover construction and maintenance costs.

The crossings and bridge were finally paid for in 2003 but after a public consultation, the Government decided the tolls controlled the flow of traffic and would stay to ensure safety.

UKIP says the tolls are illegal under EU law because lorries are charged too much at peak times.

Cars are charged a flat rate of £1 to use the crossing but lorries have to pay £2.90 during the day, which is reduced to £1 at night.

UKIP spokesman Mark Croucher, the mastermind behind the demonstration on December 2, said: "Since 2003 the Government must have trousered up to a couple of hundred million pounds.

"This campaign will go on for as long as it takes.

"The Government is insisting the only way to prove what it is doing is illegal is to hold a judicial review."

Mr Croucher, of Bayly Road, Dartford, says he is currently considering legal options.

A government spokesman said the tolls were a good way of controlling traffic flow.

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