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The UK Government has up to another nine years to recoup its costs on the Severn crossings after they return to public ownership, according to information obtained by Plaid Cymru.

The revelation came the day before tolls went up with car drivers paying an extra 10p taking the toll to £6.50 while heavy goods vehicle and bus drivers will have to £19.60, up 40p.

There are also rises for small goods vehicles and small buses.

The latest revelations come just days after it emerged that the Severn Bridge is now the world's most expensive toll road per kilometre.

Plaid Cymru’s Westminster Transport spokesman, Jonathan Edwards, said: “While the crossings are likely to revert to public ownership by 2018, the UK Government will still have the right to recoup its costs.

“This right lasts until 2027. Under current tolls it would take one to two years for the Government to recoup its costs but at the moment it is deliberately keeping its intentions hidden.

“The Government needs to come clean on its plans after 2018 and whether it intends to keep charging up to 2027 and beyond.”

The MP for Carmarthen East and Dinefwr added: “A Plaid Cymru Government would reduce the tolls to around £2 under today’s prices to cover maintenance, staff costs and contingencies.

“Eliminating the tolls altogether would be kept under review and would depend on costs.”

In response to a request by Plaid submitted under the Freedom of Information Act, the UK Highways Agency, said: “Severn River Crossing (SRC) is entitled to collect a defined sum from the tolls (£1,028.9m in July 1989 prices) and the current forecasts indicate that this sum will be recouped in 2018.

“After this time, the crossings will be handed back to the Government.

“No decisions have been made regarding the future of the Severn bridges.

“From this point onwards, government has the right to recoup its own costs from the construction, maintenance and management of the bridge until 2027.

“This would be for costs that fall outside of the scope of the current concession, for example costs incurred for cable corrosion work.

“Based on a continuation of current arrangements it is expected to take one to two years to recover this money.

“However, the exact nature of that regime has yet to be determined.”

The Highways Agency has listed spending on work on main cable corrosion on the first Severn crossing as £5,272,000 between 2010-11 and 2014-15.

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Then in the following three financial years the project spending costs will be another £4,767,000 from next April through to 2017-18.

Last week the organiser of the campaign to scrap Severn Bridge tolls said people crossing into Wales were now paying some of the highest tolls per distance travelled in the world.

Neath Port Talbot Liberal Democrat councillor John Warman said a redoubling of political pressure was necessary to remove the ever-increasing burden on business that is holding back the Welsh economy.

Mr Warman, who frequently crosses the Severn in his work as a researcher, set up the Campaign Against Severn Tolls (Cast) 10 years ago as an all-party group aimed at scrapping the charges.

14 amazing pictures of the original Severn Bridge being built

Two years ago a report from the Welsh Government suggested the nation’s economy could be boosted by £107m a year if the Severn Tolls were scrapped.

First Minister Carwyn Jones called at the time for talks on the transfer of powers over the tolls to take place with a view to devolving them when the original contract expires after the tolls have fully paid for the construction of the bridge around 2018.

He said: “I am concerned about recent indications from the UK Government that they might seek to retain the income from tolling beyond 2018. It is clear to me that this would be unacceptable.

“Whatever exact budgetary and legal arrangements are in place at that time, there would be a strong perception that drivers coming into Wales were being charged – directly or indirectly - to fund Department for Transport spending in England.”