WITH the Severn Bridge toll set to rise to £6 next week, people who cross it regularly fear the ‘Gateway to Wales’ is fast becoming an “economic nightmare”.

The toll on the two Severn Bridges will go up from £5.70 to £6 on January 1, leaving hundreds of people living in Chepstow and its surrounding towns fearing their livelihoods are being put at risk.

Chepstow commuter Adrian Day says the “extortionate” cost could soon make the take-home pay of many living in Chepstow but working in Bristol “not worth it”, resulting in a local economic nightmare.

He added: “As there’s hardly any employment opportunity in Chepstow or Caldicot, people are forced to look for work in Bristol, which is only a matter of miles away yet to do so could cost them over £100 a month.”

Nicole Cross, of Chepstow, agreed, adding: “People are already finding increases in food and fuel prices hard enough to cope with and increasing the toll by 30p is excessive.

"In view of the current financial climate the owners of the bridges could be a little more sensitive.”

Shoppers also hit out, with Chepstow mother Alison Beasley saying the cost is putting her off shopping in Bristol: “It’s a ridiculous amount to pay, especially as being Welsh it costs me to come back into my own country.”

Angela Jones, also of Chepstow, added: “With the toll and petrol it can cost around £15 just to go shopping in Bristol before you’ve even bought anything.

“I like to shop locally where possible, but sometimes that’s not practical so I’m more likely now to venture to retail parks in Cardiff or Newport.”

Monmouth MP David Davies, who recently undertook an inquiry into the issue for the Welsh Affairs Select Commitee, said: “I spent months looking at this and the reality is there’s absolutely nothing the UK government can do until at least 2017.

“The original contract, which was signed in 1992, was a commercial contract and until the four companies who own the bridges get back the agreed cost we can’t renegotiate anything with them.”