TOLLS at the two Severn crossings could drop dramatically once they pass back into public ownership, Monmouth MP David Davies has claimed.

Figures obtained by the Conservative MP show Severn River Crossing (SRC), the organisation responsible for their management and maintenance, collected a net revenue from tolls of £91.4 million in 2014 – of which just £13.16 million was spent on maintenance and other operational costs.

Mr Davies said these figures show there was “huge scope” for a drop in the tolls.

But he said measures would have to be put in place before this was done.

“Reducing the tolls would increase traffic levels and could lead to big queues on the toll plaza unless SRC introduces an electronic pre-pay system similar to the one used for the London congestion charge,” he said.

“This would take time and require government involvement.

“As far as I am aware, nothing has been done yet.

“A lot of local people work as toll collectors and I know some of them are getting concerned at the lack of information about what the future holds post-concession.”

The figures also show SRC paid £17 million in VAT in 2014.

The two bridges are due to be handed into public ownership from the UK Government once SRC has earned back the cost of their construction through income from tolls.

Although this is officially predicted to be in April 2018, Mr Davies has said he believes it could happen several months earlier and has written to the UK Government’s transport secretary Patrick McLoughlin urging him to set out a detailed plan for the handover of the bridges.

“Changes to corporation tax and an increase in traffic due to low fuel prices mean that the sum promised to SRC will inevitably be paid months earlier than expected,” he said.

“I believe it could happen as soon as October or November 2017, so we have less than two years to put a proper plan in place.”

Mr Davies, who ran a parliamentary inquiry into the economic impact of the tolls in 2010, added the UK Government’s Welsh Affairs Committee, which he chairs, would be putting pressure on Westminster to reveal the latest estimate for the handover date.

Tolls increased on January 1 to £6.60 for cars and vehicles with up to nine seats and £13.20 for vans, small buses with up to 17 seats and goods vehicles weighing up to 3,500kg.

Charges for lorries weighing more than 3,500kg and buses with 18 seats or more went up to £19.80.