Drivers warned pay-per-mile charges 'inevitable' with costly charges

A transport and construction expert has warned that a could be soon introduced across the .

Whilst the Government has confirmed that they will not be introducing a , some have warned that the idea could be applied to other elements of driving as more motorists turn away from petrol or diesel-powered cars.

Sir John Armitt, Chair of the , warned that a pay-per-mile network of toll roads could be introduced, effectively as a way of earning revenue.

He explained: "It's politically a very difficult issue, isn't it? But many people will say road pricing is inevitable. Personally, I don't see why it should be any different to anything else.

"We pay for all our other infrastructure services as we use them, and we pay for driving on the road, as we use it, via petrol tax. And if you're going to lose the petrol tax, at £30bn a year, what is the Government going to replace it with?"

With more motorists switching to electric vehicles, the amount of money that the Government earns from fuel duty will decrease.

Already, with around 1.25 million electric vehicles on the road, the Treasury faces a loss of almost £30 billion in fuel duty receipts, leading many to believe that more action will be taken to tax motorists.

Whilst many motoring experts have predicted that the Government will increase the cost of duty in the looming October Budget, Sir John stated that a toll road system would help to raise revenue on all vehicles, no matter how they are powered.

Sir John highlighted that, if the system is introduced, it would likely charge motorists at different rates depending on the road they are using and when they are travelling.

He added: "At the extreme, you could pay a different rate, per time of day, per type of road you were driving on, anywhere in the country and you just get a bill because it would all be monitored remotely.

"At the end of the day, it's the public who pay. We pay either through our taxation, or we pay at the point of use or our pensions are used to invest."

According to the vehicle buying service WeBuyAnyCar, there are currently 23 toll roads in operation in the UK, 18 of which are river crossings.

Of these, the most significant is the M6 Toll, a 27-mile stretch of motorway that was opened in 2003 to reduce congestion around Birmingham and the Black Country.

Depending on the time of day, car drivers will need to pay between £5.50 and £8.20 to use the motorway, with other, smaller toll roads in the UK typically costing less.