Severn Bridge: CBI Wales wants tolls scrapped 'instantly'

Abolishing the tolls is one of a seven-point plan put forward for the General Election by CBI Wales

The Severn Bridge road tolls should be abolished to "deliver an instant boost to the economy", CBI Wales has said.

Under plans, cars, vans and small buses will pay £3 when the Severn crossings go into public ownership about 2018 while lorries and coaches will pay £10.

The Federation of Small Businesses has been making the call for years.

CBI Wales director Ian Price said it would be a "clear and powerful" signal the next UK government was committed to growing the Welsh economy.

Mr Price, whose organisation represents some of the countries largest employers, added: "The UK's hard-won reputation as a predictable, pro-enterprise economy must be protected - the world is watching,

"Abolishing the tolls has a cost but it could deliver an instant boost to the economy and would knit the economies of south Wales and the south west of England even closer together, helping to share prosperity and improve competition."

Calls for the Severn Bridge tolls to be scrapped were made in a House of Commons debate on their future earlier this year.