HOLIDAYMAKERS heading to John Lennon Airport from Warrington could fall foul of toll fines on the Mersey Gateway bridge after Highways England said it was not putting new signs up on its approach roads.

Mike Amesbury, MP for Weaver Vale, made the enquiry to Highways England as to whether three signs on the M6 J20 and M56 J9 which say ‘For Liverpool Airport follow Runcorn’ would be updated to include information about tolls.

In a response, the agency said neither Mersey Gateway nor Highways England had any plans to provide signage alerting motorists to tolls.

A spokesman added the existing signs would be taken down completely ‘for the time being’.

He added that there was an ‘obvious alternative route’ to Liverpool Airport via M6 to J21A and then along the M6 and they would ‘continue to discuss’ with Halton Council and the Mersey Gateway ‘the potential need for further changes to signing on the Strategic Road Network’.

Mike Amesbury said: “I was very surprised that there’s no updated signage to alert people they’re heading towards a tolled bridge, this is something I raised some weeks ago with Mersey Gateway.

“There’s clearly potential here for a lot of fed-up holidaymakers having to pay tolls because they’ve not been given sufficient warning, not to mention fines that they could incur.

“I’ve asked Highways England to keep me updated.”

Nick Lyes, public affairs manager for motoring group the RAC, said: “It looks as though the minimum has been done with the possibility that motorists are going to be drawn into Runcorn with no indication they have to pay tolls.

“This adds to an already stressful situation of having to pay tolls while they’re at the airport, or even coming back from holiday to find they’ve been fined.

“Signage must be as clear as possible. This means motorists know that they’re heading for a tolled crossing, with signs for alternative ‘non-tolled’ routes too, as we see in other parts of the country where tolling is used.”

The new toll bridge is expected to open this month but a date has not yet been confirmed.