'Absolutely shocking': Drivers unable to pay Dartford Crossing charge after overhaul of payment system

1 August 2023, 08:25 | Updated: 1 August 2023, 08:48

By Kieran Kelly

@kellyjourno

Motorists driving along the Dartford Crossing have been unable to pay for their journeys after an update of its payment portal.

Thousands of drivers have reported being unable to pay for their journey, while others have said they have been unable to access the website at all for "days".

Drivers who used the crossing over the weekend have been told they must pay for the charge by Tuesday or face being fined.

National Highways has said it would extend the payment deadline, though they did not specify a new date.

A spokesperson said: "The Dart Charge contact centre and website is currently experiencing exceptionally high demand after the system improvements made over the weekend."

"To help ease pressure we have placed people in a queue, which will mean a short delay in accessing the website and our call centre advisors," they added.

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Drivers have taken to social media to complain about the system failure, with one motorist commenting: "Can’t log in to pay for crossing on Saturday, but your Twitter account is happily telling people the website is 'up and running'."

Another driver said: "Two journeys yesterday (including one featuring a major delay) and no payment facility last night or today. Please let your customers know what is going on."

A third added: "I've been trying all day and still can't pay for the trips I made on Saturday."

Another said: "At what point can i just abandon trying to pay the Dartford crossing toll? been trying since yesterday - at this rate getting Taylor Swift tickets would be easier."