Dart Charge: Drivers struggling to pay for Dartford Crossing
- Published
Drivers pay a toll charge to use the Dartford Crossing between Kent and Essex
Motorists crossing the Thames between Kent and Essex are still struggling to pay for their journeys following the introduction of a new system.
Customers say they cannot access the website or have been placed in an online queue to pay their charge.
Those who used the crossing over the weekend had been told to pay by Tuesday or face a fine.
However, National Highways said it would be extending its payment deadline but did not specify until when.
A spokesperson said: "The Dart Charge contact centre and website is currently experiencing exceptionally high demand after the system improvements made over the weekend."
"To help ease pressure we have placed people in a queue, which will mean a short delay in accessing the website and our call centre advisors," they added.
The statement thanked motorists for their patience as they waited to pay.
One driver told the BBC he crossed the bridge for the first time on Saturday.
He said he had waited in an online queue for three hours on Sunday evening and was still unable to process the payment.
A post on Dart Charge's Twitter page said its website was "currently at capacity" and therefore people were struggling to access it, as well as call centre advisors.
The post has so far received more than 200 responses from customers, with many calling for the charges to be waived.
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On 17 July, an email to those registered for automatic payments at the Dartford Crossing said the new system would come into force on Friday 28 July.
It instructed motorists that they needed to update their payment card from 28 July or they could be liable for a non-payment fine if they made the crossing.
Helen Watkinson, head of road user charging at National Highways, told BBC Radio Kent the date from which customers could validate their card details had changed since the emails went out to customers.
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