Drivers will soon face a 40% price increase to use a major road due to heavy demand, the government has said. Dartford Crossing, which links the M25 in and , currently has a standard charge of £2.50. However, in September, the price will rise to £3.50, with Transport Minister Lilian Greenwood saying the move was neccessary due to the sheer number of vehicles that now use it.

In statement to Parliament, Ms Greenwood said 180,000 use it daily on peak days, and the £2.50 charge is "no longer sufficient" to manage demand on the crossing, which was designed for much lower numbers. The announcement, which was shared on the , explained a user charge "has been collected at the crossing since 2003". She said: "In 2014, the tollbooths were removed to help make journeys smoother and the charge was increased to help manage increased demand. This was the last time that charges were increased for all vehicles.

"In the 11 years since, demand at the crossing has grown 7.5%, with the crossing now used by an average of over 150,000 vehicles every day and up to 180,000 vehicles on the busiest days."

Ms Greenwood added these traffic levels are "well in excess of the crossing's design capacity, causing delays for drivers using the crossing, congestion and journey disruption to drivers on the M25 and a range of knock-on impacts for local communities".

Jen Craft, the MP for nearby Thurrock, said while she could see the "logic" of the price hike, she will be "writing to the roads minister to ask if there's any scope to reconsider it, also asking if there's any way of retaining some of the money that's raised to fund local public transport".

's MP for Dartford Jim Dickson said though the move was "unwelcome", he was glad ministers had heeded his call to ensure that Dartford residents would still benefit from a "significant discount" on annual passes.

However, for Basildon and Billericay Richard Holden said it was "just another tax on motorists" impacting drivers with "no other option" but to use the route.

"I don't understand how that's possibly justifiable at the moment, and if the minister wants to try and justify that they should have the backbone to do it on the floor of the House of Commons where they can be questioned on it," he said.

This week, the Treasury pledged a further £590m for the Lower Thames Crossing, a new road under the Thames that will connect Tillbury in Essex with Gravesend, Kent.

The chancellor, Rachel Reeves, said the scheme would bring "a smoother, less congested passage of vital goods from [mainland] Europe to our regions", calling the project "a turning point for our national infrastructure".

National Highways, a government-owned company that operates and maintains roads and motorways, said the tunnel will help bring about a 20% reduction in traffic on the Dartford Crossing.