Tamar Bridge and Torpoint Ferry tolls will rise to £2 folllowing the Government’s authorisation of the increase.

The joint authority that manages the crossing says that is the first time in nine years that the tolls have been increased, and that the decision will ensure the sustainable future of both the bridge and the ferry.

The Department for Transport has confirmed in a letter to the Bridge and Ferry Committee that the Secretary of State accepts that the proposed increases are necessary and proportionate.

Operated together as a single business, the two crossings are jointly owned by Cornwall Council and Plymouth City Council and carry more than 18 million vehicles a year across the River Tamar.

Toll prices have not risen since 2010 but there has been opposition to the idea of an increase, with calls for a Government subsidy.

The organisation that operates the crossings says that as a result of inflation, increasing maintenance costs and the funding of a range of improvement projects, the crossings have been running at a loss for nearly two years.

The increase means that the car toll charge for TamarTag customers (which represent 60% of all crossings) rises from 75p to £1.00. For those paying by cash the toll will rise from £1.50 to £2.00.