Serial Tyne Tunnel toll evader clocks up £500,000 bill - TT2 gives dodgers one last chance to cough up

A driver who used the Tyne Tunnels 1,100 times without paying, and a company which owes £500,000+ , are among serial toll evaders to be given one last chance to cough up.

It's now two years since tunnel operator TT2 introduced a new barrier-free toll scheme to help speed up journeys and cut down carbon emissions.

Drivers can either pre-pay their tolls, or pay afterwards. Payments must be made by midnight on the following day, or motorists are hit with a fine.

The 'Unpaid Toll Charge Notice (UTCN) costs the driver £30, rising to £60 or £100 depending on how quickly they pay, with the situation ultimately ending in a case at county court if they fail to pay up.

Now TT2 has announced given a 'cluster of serial toll evaders' one last chance to settle their debts.

The company said around 98% of more than 19 million annual journeys are paid for on time without issue - but there are tunnel users who don’t pay their tolls.

These include some who have used the tunnels hundreds of times without paying - from large companies, to SMEs, to members of the public.

One particular driver has made upwards of 1,100 journeys without paying.

Another example evader cited by TT2 is a company which clocked up a debt of well in excess of half a million pounds through thousands of unpaid tolls.

The amnesty period starts on Monday, February 19, 2024.

Drivers who have received a county court judgement (CCJ) for un-paid tolls and have not settled their debts will be sent a letter giving them four weeks to pay or TT2 will apply to the court for a writ to seize goods.

Adrian Wallace, CEO at TT2, said this small group of repeat offenders are not being fair on the majority paying customers and the region’s taxpayers. 

He said: “We always knew that such a big change to the payment system would take some time to get used to, but thankfully the vast majority of customers have done so. But more than two years since the introduction, we have a number of drivers who deliberately - and in many cases – consistently, use the tunnels without paying.

“If we do not enforce non-payment of tolls, inevitably it will be the people who do pay their dues to the public purse that has to bear the burden of this. We will be tough on the group of people who simply resent paying, so don’t pay.”

How tunnel fines work

When an unpaid toll charge notice (UTCN) is issued the motorist has 14 days to pay a £30 charge + the toll.

It then becomes £60 + the toll when it reaches 15-28 days at which point the driver is also sent a reminder to pay.

If no payment is made by 28 days, the charge rises to £100 + the toll and is then sent to a third-party debt collector.

Unsuccessful attempts to recover payment at this stage may result in relevant court proceedings being initiated. Motorists who receive a UTCN can register an appeal by following the guidance published on the TT2 website (www.tt2.co.uk).