Drivers have been warned of unnecessary fines for using the Dartford Crossing after an IT failure left motorists unable to pay the fare.
In one case, a driver was fined £145 due to an IT issue which prevented him from registering online before using the Crossing.
The Dartford Crossing is operated by National Highways and charges drivers £2.50 for a single journey, as it connects Kent and Essex.
However, since the Crossing carries over 50 million vehicles a year, with roughly 135,000 vehicles going through it every day, issues are unavoidable.
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Drivers have to pay £2.50 to use the crossing
PAThe Telegraph reported that National Highways experienced a huge IT issue which crashed its payments system last August.
In one case, a driver shared on Facebook their issues when trying to pay, saying: “Has anyone else used the Dartford Crossing in the last few days and having issues?
“Been sent multiple emails telling me my account has been suspended due to invalid card (It's not!) and now when I try to re-enter it online their website crashes.
“Not to mention the '117 callers ahead of you in the queue' trying to get through on the phone!”
Drivers need to pay the charge if they use the crossing between 6am and 10pm every day, including at weekends and on bank holidays.
The only exception to this is for motorbikes, mopeds or quad bikes which are able to cross without paying and those who get free UK vehicle tax because of a disability.
John Sturgis, a driver from London, warned that the “glitch on their system” left him with hefty fines, according to The Telegraph.
He said: “It’s absolutely ludicrous. And when you do get through to a human they are too stressed or lost in the system to be able to do anything other than direct you back to the automated processes which plainly don’t work.”
Drivers who fail to pay the “Dart Charge” on time are issued a penalty notice and are fined £70, but can be reduced to £35 if paid within 14 days.
If the motorist fails to pay the change within 28 days, they will be required to pay £105.
In response to the fines, a National Highways spokesperson said: “Dartford Crossing has around 150,000 crossings per day, with the majority of customers accessing the service successfully to pay their road user charge.
"If customers receive fines that they deem incorrect, a challenge process is available. If successful, refunds are issued, though road user charges may still apply.”
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The Dartford Crossing carries over 50 million vehicles a yearPAThe agency added that its aware some customers have faced issues when trying to view or download statements online.
The site detailed: “We’ve fixed this issue and you should now be able to view account statements by logging into your Dart Charge account. We apologise for any inconvenience this may have caused."
