AN Essex business group has urged the Government to hit the accelerator with plans to scrap toll booths on the hugely-congested Dart-ford river crossing.

Leaders from the Essex Federation of Small Businesses want Roads Minister, Mike Penning, to speed up the removal of the toll barriers serving the QEII bridge and tunnel crossing over the Thames.

The request came as the Government pledged to remove the toll booths by the end of 2012 and replace them with number plate recognition technology.

However, this isn’t soon enough for business chiefs across the county.

Essex federation chairman, Iain Wicks, said: “This is not moving fast enough. Delaying until December 2012 will cost crossing users a staggering £42.8million in wasted time.

“Research reports show on an average day, without any accidents or other hold ups, the cost of wasted time for motorists using the Dartford Crossing is more than £58,725, which works out at an incredible £21.4million a year.

“That is not counting the cost of wasted fuel, which is now £1.30 a litre.”

Findings show almost half of the 150,000 vehicles using the crossing every day are delayed for an average of nine minutes each, due to drivers having to slow down at the toll booths.

It will cost the Government in the region of £10million to replace the booths with the number plate recognition technology, similar to that used to monitor London’s congestion charge.

However, Mr Wicks stressed: “As the tolls make £47million profit each year, it shouldn't be a difficult amount to find.

“We hope we will see the work commence early in 2011, so the congestion which causes such delays for motorists and costs businesses an estimated £21.4million per year can be removed.”

“What Mr Penning has got to realise is that for every day he delays removal of the toll barriers, he is costing local businesses more than £58,000, and that is simply not acceptable.”