MOTORISTS driving into Wales will face halved tolls when crossing the Severn from 2018.

Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne announced in his budget last week that the tolls on both Severn crossings would be halved, with a charge likely to be around £2.75 from when the bridges return to public ownership.

The M48 Severn Bridge and M4 Second Severn Crossing are due to come back into public ownership in April 2018 once the accumulated debt from construction costs has been paid to Severn River Crossing (SRC) Plc.

There had previously been calls to scrap the bridge tolls completely with Monmouth MP David Davies suggesting that there was a “vast difference” between the amount of money collected from the tolls and the cost of keeping the bridges running.

The news that the tolls would be halved was met with a mixed reaction, with most welcoming the reduction but some suggesting that it could have been lower still.

David Davies said: “This is fantastic news for the south Wales economy and I am absolutely delighted.

“Halving the tolls is not as much as some were hoping for but it is certainly a welcome step forward.

“There has been a lot of lobbying from all members of the Welsh Affairs Committee to bring this about and I have worked closely with cross-party colleagues, especially Jessica Morden in Newport East, for many years.”

Speaking after the announcement, Debby Blakebrough, the Independent Welsh Assembly candidate and MCC councillor, said: “I’m delighted that the Chancellor has recognised that the tolls are far too high. In last year’s budget he announced that VAT would be removed from the tolls when the two bridges return to public ownership.

“Halving the toll means that the charge should be around £2.75, which is certainly a lot better, although I would like to see it lower still.

“Some fringe politicians have been calling for the tolls to be abolished completely but that’s just unrealistic pie in the sky. Apart from anything else, with the old bridge needing almost constant repair there must be a real danger that it could be closed altogether without the toll income.”

Despite positive reactions, some such as Plaid Cymru and UKIP have suggested that the reduced tolls are not enough.

Plaid Cymru National Assembly Monmouth constituency candidate Jonathan T Clark welcomed the news but stated it is not good enough.

He said: “I welcome the planned reductions in the Severn bridge tolls announced in the budget. The Severn bridge tolls are a current and significant financial burden for many businesses, commuters and motorists and will remain so after 2018. The tolls can impact on where people choose to locate and do business, Plaid Cymru has repeatedly said that the ultimate goal should be to scrap the Severn bridge tolls altogether.”

Mark Reckless, economic spokesman from UKIP, said: “Once the bridge is passed back into public ownership we see no reason why this punitive toll on people travelling to and from Wales should continue.

“It’s damaging to business, to tourism and is by far the highest toll in the UK. Not paying it is not an option for most as the Severn bridges are our most important thoroughfare to and from Wales.

For many, the toll is unavoidable. It is a deterrent to doing business over the bridge. We estimate that the annual maintenance cost for both bridges is in the region of £10 million. We would pay for this by axing the £73 million Welsh government budget for "climate change project" so that UKIP could scrap the tolls”.