New Roads and Street Works Act 1991

38 Refusal or failure to pay tolls

(1) A person who without reasonable excuse refuses or fails to pay, or who attempts to evade payment of, a toll which he is liable to pay by virtue of a toll order commits an offence and is liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding level 3 on the standard scale.

(2) If it appears to a person employed for the purpose of collecting tolls that a person has, without reasonable excuse, refused or failed to pay a toll which he is liable to pay by virtue of a toll order, he may—

(a) refuse to permit him to pass, or prevent him from passing, through any place at which tolls are payable, and

(b) require him to remove his vehicle from any such place by a particular route, and if he does not comply with such a requirement cause the vehicle to be so removed;

and for the purpose of exercising the powers conferred by this subsection, a person employed for the purpose of the collection of tolls may call upon such assistance as he thinks necessary.

(3) Where a person does not comply with a requirement under subsection (2)(b) as to the removal of his vehicle, he is liable to pay a prescribed charge in respect of the removal of the vehicle.

(4) Where there remains unpaid—

(a) a toll which a person is liable to pay by virtue of a toll order, or

(b) a prescribed charge which he is liable to pay by virtue of subsection (3),

the person authorised to charge tolls may recover from the person liable the amount of the toll or charge together with a reasonable sum to cover administrative expenses.

(5) In this section a “prescribed charge” means such charge as may be specified in, or calculated in accordance with, regulations made by the Secretary of State.

The regulations may provide for the amount of the charge, or any amount used for the purpose of calculating the charge, to be varied in accordance with a formula specified in the regulations.

(6) Regulations under this section shall be made by statutory instrument which shall be subject to annulment in pursuance of a resolution of either House of Parliament.