Tyne Tunnel toll: Drivers face price rise from May

The price rise will come into effect in May

The Tyne Tunnel toll will rise by up to 50p, councillors have confirmed.

The cost for cars will go from £1.90 to £2.20 and for HGVs it will rise from £3.90 to £4.40.

The North East Joint Transport Committee's Tyne and Wear sub-group deferred the hike from starting in February to May amid the cost of living crisis.

Tunnel operator TT2 said operating costs had soared with electricity bills rising by an "astonishing" £1m.

The committee's Tyne and Wear sub-committee approved the new toll after hearing it was needed to pay back the debt incurred by building the second tunnel, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

'Massive cost increases'

Committee chairman Carl Johnson, the deputy mayor of North Tyneside, said that decision-makers would not be upping the toll "if we were not contractually and legally bound to do this".

He added: "We fully understand that everyone and every organisation is going through massive cost increases at the moment.

"The deferment [to May] is the best we can do as a committee to at least try and alleviate the pressure."

The three-month deferment will cost the Tyne and Wear councils £1.5m, the committee heard, and a further delay would reduce reserves to an "unacceptable level".

Motorists who pay their Tyne Tunnel toll using a pre-paid account will still get a 10% discount under the new toll levels, making the cost £1.98 for cars and £3.96 for HGVs.