UKIP staged a protest on the Runcorn Widnes bridge on Friday branding tolls ‘highway robbery’.

Campaigners say the £2 levy on the new Mersey Gateway and the Silver Jubilee bridge will put a ‘huge burden’ on businesses and individuals.

Philip Busow, chairman of the Runcorn UKIP branch, said: “We have been assured that residents living in Halton will be exempt.

“But they will have to pay a registration fee for each vehicle they own.

“UKIP is against any tolls on any bridge or tunnel.”

Halton MEP Paul Nuttall said: "Modern day motorists are fleeced by ANPR cameras and electronic tolling systems rather than by a man wearing a mask and brandishing pistols, but we should make no mistake it is still highway robbery.”