A POLITICAL row has erupted over the £1,080-a-year bill facing Warrington’s motorists for crossing the new Mersey Gateway Bridge – two years on from George Osborne’s broken promise.

Mr Osborne, who will not be seeking re-election in the General Election after being appointed as editor of the London Evening Standard, pledged that motorists in Warrington and Cheshire West and Chester would have tolls waived in April 2015.

However, in January ministers made a U-turn after confirming extending the discount scheme to Knowsley, Liverpool City Council and St Helens would cost around £604 million.

The six-lane bridge over the Mersey, between Runcorn and Widnes, is due to open this autumn – an exact target date has not been set.

It will be tolled, along with the existing Silver Jubilee Bridge.

The standard toll charge to cross either bridge will be £2 for a one-way trip in a car or a small van, with a discount pass for Warrington drivers set to be priced at £90 per month, amounting to £1,080 a year.

Labour Stockton Heath parish councillor Nick Bent has again hit out at the Conservatives and Mr Osborne.

He said: “This could be the biggest local issue of the election, as everybody will be hit by worse traffic congestion and some commuters will be over £1,000 out of pocket every year.

“With enough public pressure, we can rescue the situation.

“Osborne is quitting but the public promise the Tories made still binds the whole Tory Government.

“David Mowat is a Tory minister and his blatant failure to keep his promise on this should cost him thousands of votes.”

David Mowat MP has responded to the criticism.

He said: “This election will be a choice between strong, stable leadership under Theresa May or Jeremy Corbyn and Nicola Sturgeon’s coalition of chaos.”

The town’s Liberal Democrat leader Cllr Bob Barr has also weighed in on the debate.

He said: “It is rich to hear David Mowat’s stale Tory soundbite ‘coalition of chaos’.

“He has broken his promise over bridge tolls and failed to deliver a better funding formula for Warrington schools.

“Instead, he changed his mind over Brexit and is part of a chaotic Tory coalition of hard Brexit, soft Brexit and Remain MPs appealing to UKIP voters.”

UKIP’s Warrington branch believes residents ‘will not forget’ the ‘cast-iron pledge’ from Mr Osborne.

A spokesman added: “Since the Conservatives won the Warrington South seat with such a slim majority, it is likely that David Mowat benefited from this broken promise.

“If his party can’t be trusted on this single issue, how can voters be sure that Theresa May would deliver on the promises she made on EU Brexit negotiations?”

Warrington and Halton Green Party’s transport spokesman Mike Wass has also responded.

He said: “We believe initial commitments to fund the new Mersey Gateway Bridge at national level should be honoured to avoid tolls adversely distorting local travel patterns.”