CAMPAIGNERS who oppose Mersey Gateway tolls are planning a protest to coincide with the visit of the Queen and Meghan to open the new bridge.

Scrap Mersey Tolls (SMT) say they want to take advantage of the heightened media exposure the royal visit will bring to Halton.

Christine Roche, a member of the SMT committee said: “Scrap Mersey Tolls are welcoming the visit of Her Majesty the Queen and the Duchess of Sussex to Widnes.

"We will be staging a demonstration at this event, not in opposition of a royal visit but in opposition of the tolling scheme on the Mersey Gateway, and when it reopens, the previously untolled Silver Jubilee bridge.

“We view this visit  a timely opportunity for our campaign group to take advantage of wider media exposure to highlight the issue of a huge sum of money, approximately £20 million in tolls and fines, taken from motorists using a tolling scheme which was ruled unenforceable by the Traffic Penalty Tribunal.”

The royal party is expected to arrive at Runcorn railway station on Thursday morning before driving across the bridge to the Catalyst Science and Discovery Centre.

Scrap Mersey Tolls campaigners will be demonstrating in Widnes near the junction on Waterloo Road at around the time that royal celebrations take place

Exact times of the visit have not been announced due to security reasons but committee members for the SMT group are in talks with the police to arrange a demonstration between 10 am and midday.