Severn crossing tolls to take cards

28 January 2010
The second Severn Crossing M4 Bridge, along with the M48 crossing, will welcome drivers paying with cards from April

Drivers using the Severn bridges can pay with plastic from April after a long-running campaign by a Labour MP to get cards accepted.

The Department of Transport is making the necessary changes to legislation governing the M48 bridge and M4 second crossing, said Transport Minister Sadiq Khan.

Labour's Jessica Morden (Newport E) fought for the change to help "long-suffering Severn Bridge users".

Mr Khan told her in the Commons: "As a direct consequence of your campaign and your lobbying and your giving me a hard time outside the Chamber as well as in it, work is under way to make the necessary changes to the secondary legislation to allow for card payments to be accepted on the Severn crossings."

Drivers entering Wales currently pay £5.50 for cars and £16.40 for lorries in cash.

In the BBC comedy Gavin & Stacey, James Corden's character Smithy was 10p short and had to lift the barrier to let Gavin's car pass through on a dash to a hospital in Wales.

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