RIVAL candidates have hit out at Labour's stance on road tolls at the Mersey crossings following leader Ed Miliband's election rally at the Parr Hall on Saturday.

Mr Miliband told the Warrington Guardian that a review of the charges would take place but he did not promise for the tolls to be scrapped.

Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition (TUSC) candidate for Warrington South, Kevin Bennett, who was part of a TUSC protest outside the venue during Mr Miliband's visit, claimed the 'refusal' to scrap the tolls by the party shows rival Nick Bent has 'nothing to offer'.

"Ed Miliband's visit to Warrington was not what the Labour candidate hoped for," he said.

"He will have had his fingers crossed that Mr Miliband would give a commitment to scrapping the road tolls on the Mersey crossings - instead, he did the opposite and said that it is not a promise he will make.

"He has been gathering a petition calling for these tolls to be scrapped and trying to make it the centrepiece of his campaign."

Liberal Democrat candidate for Warrington South, Bob Barr, described the refusal to promise a scrappage of the tolls as 'part of a pattern'.

He added: "By opting to finance the Mersey crossing using the Private Finance Initiative, the last Labour Government went for the most expensive form of finance, for the most expensive new crossing of the Mersey possible, expecting drivers to pick up the costs through tolls.

"Labour wants to be trusted with the economy, yet in our region they have privatised, overspent and under-delivered consistently, saddling residents with the costs.

"When given the opportunity to put a little of this right by pledging the removal of tolls from this vital new crossing all they offer is a future review - a totally meaningless gesture."

But Labour's shadow chancellor, Ed Balls, insists that if the party came into Government on May 7, a 'fairer solution' will be given to Warrington residents following the work of Mr Bent.

"Nick Bent and Warrington’s Labour run council are doing a brilliant job working with business and the community to get a better deal for Warrington," he said.

"The VAT increase this Government carried out has added around 3p to the cost of a litre of fuel.

"A Labour Government is determined to address the costs of motoring, we will tackle the cost of high insurance bills, ban stealth speed cameras, fix potholes, and target unnecessary road closures."

Green Party candidate for Warrington South, Sarah Hayes, criticised Mr Miliband for his speech in the town, notably for his vision for the NHS and funding for homes.

"Ed Miliband implicitly accepted that private companies will continue to operate in the NHS, saying only that Labour would make the NHS a preferred provider and introduce a profit cap," she said.

"The Green Party believes that no one should be making a profit from our health service.

"The Future Homes Fund announced by Mr Miliband offers nothing to the millions of people who have no earthly hope of saving for a deposit on a house.

"The Green Party, on the other hand, has pledged to scrap Right to Buy and build 500,000 social rented properties by 2020, thus giving young people on low wages the chance of a home they can call their own."