Motorists say 'we pay enough' as councillor calls for price freeze on Tyne Tunnel tolls

Prices will change from midnight on Sunday, costing £1.80 for cars, vans, or buses less than three metres high with two axles.

LGVs, vans or buses more than three metres high with three axles or more will pay £3.60.

A 10% discount will still apply for customers who top up their pre-paid accounts.

This weekend's price rise marks the first for almost three years.

Ahead of the change, a Liberal Democrat councillor in Sunderland called for the tolls to be frozen or scrapped, instead of leaving commuters to be treated as "cash cows".

The tolls are going up from midnight on May 12.

Heather Fagan, who represents the Doxford and Tunstall ward, uses the tunnel for work.

Speaking on our social media pages, some readers branded the tunnel's prices as "too expensive" and said it adds to the cost of the daily routine.

Others argued that if motorists should simply take a different route if they did not want to pay the toll.

Automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) was introduced at the tunnel last year, enabling drivers to sign-up online with their registration number, and pre-pay for their journeys.

Motorists who already used the pre-pay permit system for the tunnel were also given the option to transfer to ANPR.

While change cannot be provided at the toll lanes for cash customers, change machines are available for use on the approach on both the north and south sides.

Here is how you reacted to the story on social media:

Mark Loughton: "The amount of council tax that is paid, there should be no tolls."

Steven Place: "We pay enough as it is."

Carol Hall: "It’s pennies and I will happily pay it to go through the tunnel if you don’t like it go a different way it’s not rocket science."

Paul N Yvonne Cowey: "Extra 10p a trip, £1.40 a week both ways. Still cheaper than going through town."

Kenny Potter: "Normally hoy two quid in anyway."

Dave Ridley: "Too expensive."

Sharon Darling: " They made loads of money last year from the change you don’t get back!"

Paul Forrester: "Tunnel is just a massive bottleneck since Silverlink opened. Need to get rid of barriers and make just two free flow lanes to keep traffic moving, rather than splitting into eight then back to two."

Illian Macdade: "This is why the motor trade is going downhill. Fuel prices going up, tunnel going up, tolls to go in city centre."

Megan Thompson: "Just adds to the cost of going to work."