Severn Bridge toll booth demolished ahead of tolls being scrapped
Drivers crossing between England and Wales will have a few more quid in their pockets as the Severn Bridge tolls are scrapped from Monday.
And pictures show workmen demolishing the tollbooths with excavators, saws, cranes and water jets, with work having started on Friday and continuing over the weekend.
Tolls will no longer be charged from first thing on December 17, resulting in the potential loss of 100 jobs – but motorists will save £5.60 on a car crossing.
Regular commuters are expected to save more than £1,400 per year, report Wales Online .
The abolition comes as thousands of people are expected to make their journeys home for the festive period.
Charges on the original Severn Crossing have been in place since 1966, when the fee stood at two shillings and sixpence – the equivalent of 12.5p in today’s decimal currency.
They were then introduced on the second crossing – renamed the Prince of Wales Bridge in April this year – when it opened 30 years later in 1996.
The Government said scrapping of the tolls would provide an immediate benefit of over £100 million per year for Wales, and over a billion pounds of economic benefit over the next decade.
The final driver to pay to cross over from England to Wales on Sunday was Welsh Secretary Alun Cairns.
He said: "The end of the tolls is a major milestone for the economies of south Wales and south west of England, and will remove historic barriers between communities.
"Scrapping the tolls means an end to generations of people paying to simply cross the border and delivering this has been one of my key aims as Welsh Secretary.
"A week before Christmas drivers will no longer have to pay every time they cross the border, meaning more money in their pockets, helping them with the cost of living and leaving them with and more cash to spend in their local areas."
Chris Graying, Secretary of State for Transport, added: "We made a commitment in the manifesto to deliver free crossings over the Severn and that’s exactly what we’re delivering.
"This move will put £1,400 a year in the pockets of thousands of hard-working motorists and help transform the economy in the south west and South Wales creating new opportunities and helping drive future growth."
On Wednesday December 19, the Prince of Wales Bridge will reopen fully with two free-flowing lanes, with a 50mph speed limit to ensure the safety of drivers.
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