Toll bridge fine issued to driver 270 miles away


The Warburton Toll Bridge crosses the Manchester Ship Canal

A driver said he was left "perturbed" after receiving a fine for crossing a toll bridge more than 270 miles from his home despite insisting he had never been near it.

Graham Parsons, from Plymouth, Devon, received an unpaid toll charge for using the Warburton Toll Bridge, which links Cheshire and Greater Manchester.

His case is one of a number raised by motorists who have complained about the bridge's payment and enforcement system.

Peel Ports said there had been "some genuine customer experience issues", but the evidence did "not indicate a systemic failure of the system".

The bridge previously cost 12p a crossing, but the charge was increased to £1 following refurbishment works in recent years.  Manned toll booths were removed and replaced with an automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) camera system.

Mr Parsons told BBC Politics North West he received an unpaid toll charge in early June for a crossing in March.  "I put my Sherlock Holmes hat on because I didn't realise that I'd ever been near the bridge," he said.  "And in fact, I had never been near the bridge because it's 271 miles from where I live. So I was quite perturbed and annoyed."

He appealed and discovered the camera had misread his registration plate, which differed by one character from the vehicle photographed.  Two weeks later, he received a second letter relating to another crossing in April.

Mr Parsons then submitted a subject access request to parking operator Excel Parking, after which the charges were cancelled.

He said he was "lucky" to know what steps to take and highlighted that a Facebook group where others had been through similar experiences with the bridge had helped him.

"I thought 'this is bad, I need to get it resolved' but I have a lot more sympathy for local people that have to cross that bridge on multiple occasions," he said.

He also raised concerns about his personal information being released by the DVLA.

The DVLA said it was "sorry for any distress caused".

"In this case, the company that requested the information has confirmed the notices were issued in error and has cancelled the charges," a spokesperson said.

Russell Barton, from Lowton, often makes one-way journeys across the bridge, visiting his elderly parents on his way home from work.  He received an unpaid toll charge in June for a crossing in March despite having paid the charge.

"Luckily I don't often delete emails, and sure enough there's the receipt that I paid the £1 crossing on the day they say I didn't," he said.  He said the system was "not fit for purpose".

"I appreciate they spent a lot of money on the bridge and that needs to be paid for somehow," he said.  But he said the way the charges increase was "not fair" and "not proportionate".

"I think a lot of people will just pay it to get it out of their hair, or they haven't kept the receipt.  I won't do that, I'll go to court and I'll win."  He added that if the company "can't sort their own house out, then it must be regulated".

Connor Rand, Labour MP for Altrincham and Sale West, said he had been "inundated" with messages about the bridge, which is partially in his constituency.  "It's clear whatever is happening isn't working - it's broken at the moment," he said.

He said he wanted Peel Ports to "come to the table, take the issue seriously and work to solve them in a way that works for residents.  What I'll be saying to the transport minister and the department is that if they don't take those issues seriously then we might need to look at what other action we can take - including parliamentary action - to solve the issues," he said.

Meanwhile, Warrington North's Labour MP Charlotte Nichols - whose constituency also partially includes the bridge - said she had met Peel Ports after receiving complaints from residents and had been told the company would investigate.

In a statement, Peel Ports said it recognised the "variety of concerns" users have about the operation of the toll enforcement system.

It said: "We take all feedback seriously and are reviewing the examples that have been provided, in conjunction with Excel Parking who are responsible for the number plate recognition system and the toll charges.  We and Excel will continue to investigate any specific examples provided and it will be for Excel to implement changes from any lessons learned. Our focus remains on delivering a fair, proportionate and transparent service for all users."

It said that while there had been "some genuine customer experience issues", its assessment found no evidence of a "systemic failure" of the scheme.  And it said where an issue had been found due to an error it had "acted appropriately, including issuing payments retrospectively where justified and upholding appeals where the evidence supports this".

Excel Parking has been approached for comment.

There are some however for later in the day, some of which were announced last night.

This is a call and briefing for walkers to support the Melksham Transport User Group.

According to Real Time Trains the morning service from Swindon was operated by 166 205 and the evening return by 165 104.

All trains on Victoria’s regional rail network were suspended on Thursday morning during the peak travel period, though services have gradually returned.

Telstra’s 4G network was interfering with the back-up satellite phones used in the trains when the mobile network is unavailable, according to V/Line’s chief executive, William Tieppo.

Regional trains in New South Wales were also interrupted, but services have since resumed on the Southern Highlands and Hunter lines.

Ironic as it sits in the Jersey Sidings (cooking!) all day.

20:06 rather than 19:38 off Weymouth.

19:38 Weymouth to Swindon due 22:00

19:38 Weymouth to Swindon due 22:00 is being delayed at Weymouth.
This is due to this train being late from the depot.

Repainting redundant road markings 'waste of cash'


The Coln House School closed years ago and is being converted to housing - Image © Sandra Kolasinski

The partial repainting of "keep clear" road markings outside a now-closed Cotswold school has sparked concerns that public money is being wasted.

Sandra Kolasinski said she was amused last week to discover just the word "keep" had been painted in bright yellow after repairs to the road outside the former Coln House School in Horcott Road.

Kolasinski said while it made her laugh, the work was a waste of taxpayers money and the road markings now appear for "no apparent reason".

Councillor Mark Harris, from Gloucestershire County Council, said the utility company that carried out the work has now returned to black out the markings.

"The old Coln House School in Horcott Road, Fairford, has been closed for ages and is in the process of being converted into new housing," she said.

"Even though the rest of the markings can no longer be seen and it is no longer a school site, there is now the word 'keep' written on the road for no apparent reason.  Are the people who mark the roads not allowed to question why they are doing some?  What a waste of money!"

Stephen Andrews, a former Cotswold district councillor for the area, said it made no sense to repaint the signs on the road but the utility firm may have had to do it due to a technicality.  "The problem may well lie with the traffic regulation order, (which) ensured the school's presence was known, and has not been cancelled after its closure years ago," he said.

Harris, cabinet member for highways at the council, said the work was undertaken by a utilities company that had reinstated the road markings present after completing a project on the road.

"We work closely with all utility companies to ensure they reinstate the highways surface to its original condition following any works.  In this instance, the 'School Keep Clear' markings had been allowed to fade as they are now longer relevant. We have spoken with the utility company, and they have returned to the site to black out the markings," he added.

Cancellations to services between Chippenham and Trowbridge via Melksham
Due to a shortage of train crew between Westbury and Swindon disruption is expected until 20:30 11/07.
Train services between Chippenham and Trowbridge via Melksham have been cancelled.

Customer Advice
Owing to a shortage of train crew several afternoon / evening journeys on the Westbury - Swindon - Westbury (via Melksham) route have been cancelled.

Please accept our apologies for any inconvenience this may cause to your intended journey on this route today.

Taxis will operate in place of the cancelled train services between Chippenham and Westbury in both directions, calling at Melksham and Trowbridge. This road transport is intended to connect at Chippenham out of the next Swindon to Chippenham train service (normally a service to Bristol Temple Meads) following the cancelled Swindon, Chippenham, Melksham service. From Westbury they will connect at Chippenham into train services towards Swindon, Didcot Parkway, Reading and London Paddington.

Buses are not too bad to the hospital on a Sunday.   The 1/1A/1B and 12 combine to give three buses an hour.

Edit to add.  For the return the 12 has the advantage it stops outside the railway station after Fleming Way - but only runs hourly at 33 mins past the hour from the hospital.

New summer bus service for Ironbridge tourists


The bus will take people to a number of sites around the Ironbridge Gorge - Image © Getty Images

A new summer bus service aims to help people get to popular tourist attractions in the Ironbridge Gorge.

The bus will run every Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Bank Holiday Monday until 13 September and passengers can hop on and off throughout the day for £2.

It will call at The Wrekin, Wellington town centre, Madeley High Street, Ironbridge Wharfage, Blists Hill Victorian Town, Jackfield Tile Museum and other attractions.

Telford and Wrekin said Ironbridge Gorge Park and Ride at Jiggers Bank car park would also be available throughout the summer.

The council said its "Wrekin Connect" bus was being run as a trial service and it wanted to hear people's feedback.

It said it hoped the service would allow people "to enjoy a full day out exploring the area without the need to use their car".

Ollie Vickers, the councillor responsible for transport, said the bus was a "simple and affordable way to travel".

The council has produced a full timetable and route map.

Historical iron bridge documents to go on display


The three documents tell the story of the construction on the famous bridge in Ironbridge - Image © National Trust

A collection of records telling the story of the world's first large-scale iron bridge are due to go on display.

The National Trust, which now runs the Ironbridge Gorge museums in Shropshire, said the records had recently been recognised for their significance by Unesco.

It said the construction of the iron bridge there "marked a turning point in engineering and construction, demonstrating the potential of cast iron on an unprecedented scale".

The three documents are Abraham Darby III's original cost estimate, a ledger showing a list of his business activities and a personal share certificate which belonged to him.

Last month the documents were added to Unesco UK Memory of the World Register, which recognises "documentary heritage of outstanding national and regional importance".

They will go on display for two weeks from 15 July to mark this.

The bridge, completed in 1779, gave its name to the town of Ironbridge and the surrounding gorge, which the National Trust said was "widely regarded as the birthplace of the Industrial Revolution".

Local ironmaster Abraham Darby III was commissioned to build the bridge to a design by Thomas Farnolls Pritchard.

As well providing an important river crossing, the bridge was used to "demonstrate the capabilities of his company and the versatility of cast iron for architectural use" the National Trust said.

(BBC article continues, with further details of opening times, etc.)