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Hundreds join bridge march to protest toll charges

Jake Wallace,South Westand
Andrea Ormsby,Devon
BBC A group of people crossing the bridge. At the front are three men and one woman. They are holding picket signs and a banner which says Campaigning for a toll-free tamar. BBC
The march saw crowds of people and vehicles cross the bridge with banners

About 200 people have taken part in a peaceful march across a bridge in opposition to increases in toll charges.

The march on Saturday was organised by the Tamar Toll Action Group, which is campaigning for lower tolls and long-term government funding for the Tamar Bridge linking Devon and Cornwall.

Operator, the Tamar Bridge and Torpoint Ferry Joint Committee increased standard charges from £2.60 to £3.00 in 2025 and had plans to increase monthly administration fees for regular users from 80p to £2 rejected by councillors in June.

Protester and Saltash resident Allison Hair said having to pay to go over the bridge was "not normal", it was "morally wrong", and she was "sick of it."

Tamar Toll Action Group chair Scott Slavin. He has short grey hair, is wearing a pink shirt and is wearing dark glasses.
Tamar Toll Action Group chair Scott Slavin organised the protest

Protesters gathered at Alexandra Square in Saltash and marched across the bridge at 13:00 BST, alongside vehicles carrying campaign banners.

Campaign group chair Scott Slavin said the protest was organised to show a "strength in numbers" to MPs, to "deliver a message to government that people want change".

"There is a particularly strong feeling in Saltash because our postal district is paying over £2m a year in tolls, that's an enormous sum of money out of the raw economy of a small Cornish town," he said.

"It's more than twice the amount paid by the adjacent entire city of Plymouth, in fact."

Jacqueline Jones. She has medium length blonde hair and is wearing a bright green top. She is sitting on a bench with other people around a tree.
Jacqueline Jones is a resident of Saltash and said she regularly pays to cross the bridge

Saltash resident Jacqueline Jones said she has to use the bridge because of her illnesses.

"I travel to the hospital quite regularly and then have to pay all the time to go over there, it's disgusting, it should be free," she said.

Another Saltash resident, Jean Wengradt, said there should not be a charge to cross the bridge.

"Then you wouldn't have the wages you have to pay out," she said.

"From a local's point of view, I think it should be free."

A wider view of the march showing a crowd of people stretching along the bridge.
Operators of the bridge, the Tamar Crossings Joint Committee, have previously said financing the crossing is "extremely challenging"

In a statement, the Department for Transport said decisions on tolls are taken by the Tamar Crossings Joint Committee and that it would "continue to work with them on any proposals to help make the crossings better for everyone".

The committee said: "We recognise and respect the right to peaceful protest."

Last month, Tamar Crossing's chief operating officer, Philip Robinson, said financing the crossing was "extremely challenging".

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