CONCERNS about an apparent lack of planning on the future of the Severn bridges were raised at a committee of MPs sitting in Chepstow.

The bridges are to be brought back into public ownership by early 2018 but there is still no certainty about who will run them and what the tolls will be, the Welsh Affairs select committee heard.

Chancellor George Osborne has already announced a 50 per cent cut in the cost of crossing the bridges and it is expected that will bring more traffic to the area.

Ian Gallagher of the Freight Transport Association (FTA) said when tolls were reduced on the Humber Bridge in 2011 there was a 30 per cent increase in traffic.

He said bridge users, staff and local communities needed to know how the hand over to the government would be handled.

At a recent meeting with roads minister Andrew Jones, he said the FTA was told to wait for a public consultation on the issue which will probably be launched in the autumn.

His frustration was shared by committee chairman and Monmouth MP David Davies.

He said: “The committee may well conclude that the government is not acting quickly enough to deal with the handover.

“Personally, as a local MP, I am of that opinion but I can’t speak for the committee.”

Mark Youngman, a senior executive with the Great Western Railway company, said the bridges needed to be considered as part of a wider transport issue.

He said: “People in Chepstow bemoan the amount of traffic that comes down the A48 from the Forest to Bristol.

“It could be argued the tolls are a barrier to people making that journey. If you remove the tolls you remove that disincentive.

“I’m not sure local roads in Chepstow and Caldicot would be able to cope with a 30 per cent increase in traffic. The consultation needs to look at the wider transport picture.”

Around 40 people attended the committee session at the Drill Hall on Monday morning.

Town councillor Ned Heywood said: “Dropping tolls will completely reconfigure traffic flows and that needs to be considered.”

Kit Spackman of Lydney said control of the bridges should not pass to the Welsh Government when they come back into public ownership, probably between November 2017 and April 2018.

He said: “ I could be in the position of paying tolls and having no input into that. My MP, Mark Harper, cannot influence anything in Cardiff.

“There are a significant number of people living in west Gloucestershire who are affected by the issues on the Severn bridges.”

Mr Gallagher said people employed by the current owners, Severn River Crossing, faced uncertainty.

He said: “I feel sorry for the staff working on the Severn crossing because they have no idea what is going to happen.

“They don’t know what the administration of the bridge will look like. If there are tolls will they carry on the administration? Or will the government go for a consultant? There doesn’t seem to be any news out there at all.”