TOLLS on the Severn crossings should be reduced to just cover maintenance costs, Welsh Assembly members have said – with abolition of the charges being 'kept under review' in the longer term.

A motion by the Liberal Democrats – who called the debate at the Senedd in Cardiff Bay – to scrap the tolls when the bridges return to public ownership, probably in 2018, was defeated.

Assembly members also called for control of the bridges to transfer to Cardiff instead of London when they do revert to public ownership.

The debate was held as the annual rise in tolls was announced which will mean that from New Year's Day car drivers will pay £6.50 – up from £6.40 – the cost for vans and minibuses will rise to £13.10 from £12.80 while the toll for lorries and buses will be £19.60 which is an increase of 40p.

Under the 1992 Severn Bridges Act, Severn River Crossing – which operates both bridges – was allowed to collect tolls to pay for building the second crossing and cover the costs of the remaining debt on the first bridge and operating and maintaining the bridges.

Plaid Cymru's Rhun ap Iorwerth (Ynys Mon) said studies had shown a charge of £2 for cars would cover maintenance costs.

Economy minister Edwina Hart (Lab, Gower) said that while tolls cost commuters and businesses a total of £80 million a year, the cost of maintaining the crossing was around £15 million.

She said: "It would clearly be unfair if, once the costs and repairs have been paid off, road users continued to have to generate full revenue, which is four times the actual cost of running the bridges.

"The users of the bridges have paid enough, especially those who regularly do the journey from east to west, and it is high time that they be relieved of this burden."

John Griffiths (Lab, Newport East) said the government had written off £150 million of debt on the Humber Bridge which would "make a strong case as to why the level of tolls should be reduced in the run-up to 2018."

Nick Ramsay, the Conservative AM for Monmouth, said congestion at the toll booths was an issue for users.

He said: "When you speak to commuters it is not just the tolls, the congestion at the toll plaza causes them as much frustration as the tolls.

"You could have a system similar to the congestion charging in London with tag technology to read number plates, and you could pay on the internet or by phone after you have done the journey. That would certainly get the traffic moving through.

"The tolls as they currently stand are prohibitive and we certainly need to see a change to that tolling system and a reduction of the tolls for the benefit of people and businesses in Wales."

Eluned Parrott (Lib Dem, South Wales Central) said: "The Welsh Liberal Democrats have had a clear line on what we believe the future should hold for the bridges for a long time, and the end of the concession agreement provides the ideal opportunity for the current tolling system to be reviewed and, in our view, scrapped altogether."