Motorists slapped with £100 toll bridge fine despite never using crossing in major blunder

The bridge, which crosses the River Mersey between Cheshire and Lancashire, introduced a new cashless payment system in November.

Traditional toll booths were replaced with CCTV cameras and ANPR technology, while the toll rose from 12p to £1.

Since January, figures from Peel Ports Group revealed around 138,000 journeys have been recorded as unpaid, marking roughly 900 every day.

Drivers who fail to pay the toll can receive a penalty of up to £100. But in a shocking turn of events, some motorists claim they have been fined even though they insist they were nowhere near the bridge.

One of them, Graham Parsons, a charity pharmacy director, received a penalty despite being in Plymouth at the time of the alleged crossing.

Mr Parsons believed the camera system may have misread another vehicle's registration plate, confusing the letter "C" with a "G".

He told The Telegraph: "My biggest concern is being fined for a toll on a bridge I have never been near and despite it being clear that it is not my car."

His appeal has not yet been answered. After receiving the fine, Mr Parsons joined the Warburton Toll Bridge Action Group, where he found many other motorists reporting similar experiences.

The group is led by Brenda Williams, who said she has heard from hundreds of people who believe they have been wrongly fined. She claimed some penalties had even been sent to drivers who had never visited the area.

"Somebody that lives in Ireland had a fine. When are they ever supposed to have crossed the bridge?" she said.

Ms Williams also explained the group had seen cases involving motorcyclists and Blue Badge holders, who should not have to pay the toll.

"We've had cases with someone receiving a fine for crossing on a motorbike, who are not supposed to pay, or motorists who have Blue Badges getting notices, even though they're supposed to be exempt," she said. "It's just ridiculous. It's making people frustrated and upset and something needs to be done to sort it out."

Meanwhile, Patricia and Peter Kennerley also received a fine in June for an alleged crossing in April. They both have Blue Badges because they have dementia, meaning they would have been exempt from paying the toll.

Another driver tried to pay the charge after crossing the bridge in December but claimed the online payment system would not accept his full registration number.

Warrington Borough Councillor Graham Gowland said some residents had built up fines worth thousands of pounds. He described the system as "absurd" and criticised the lack of a telephone helpline, saying drivers were struggling to get answers.

Peel Ports Group, whose subsidiary the Manchester Ship Canal Company operates the bridge, admitted there had been "genuine customer experience issues" but denied there was a widespread fault with the technology.

Deputy director Jon Hassett said: "We recognise the variety of concerns road users have raised about the operation of the toll enforcement system, including the appeals process, payment methods and customer experience."

However, Excel Parking said its own investigation found no evidence of technical faults, with a spokesperson stating that the assessment revealed "the systems are operating as intended and in accordance with the requirements of the scheme."