A Wallsend man has been fined more than £500 for unpaid Tyne Tunnel tolls, a punishment he describes as "excessive" for what he calls a "simple admin mistake". Luke Gilchrist, 31, who drives through the tunnels daily to work at Caterpillar in Peterlee, only learned of the 16 charges on his account when a letter arrived in the post.
Checking his account online, Mr Gilchrist discovered that notifications had been sent to an old email address linked to his profile. He accepts he was at fault for not updating his contact details, which he has now corrected, but maintains the penalty is disproportionate.
System questioned after missed top-ups
Mr Gilchrist believes TT2, the tunnel operator, should improve how it alerts customers to failed payments, rather than relying solely on email. He has disputed the £521 fine and questioned the "fairness" of the system.
Speaking to ChronicleLive, he said: "I have been using the Tyne Tunnels for around two-and-a-half years and use the tunnels twice a day to get to and from work. I haven't had issues with funding the account in the past.
"What happened was that the account didn't top up for eight days in a row without me realising, as the feature was automatically disabled and needed enabling. Two weeks later, I got the letter about the unpaid toll charge, and then when I called I found out the full extent of what had happened.
"I called up to try and rectify things, and I explained the situation from my end, with the app not telling me about this, but it just went to the email. I just don't think it's fair to pay that amount because of a simple admin mistake, and this can't be just me who has experienced something like this."
Operator defends notifications and discretion
Mr Gilchrist added: "I was hoping maybe they would say, we will charge you for one of the fines, but now it feels like they are not using discretion when they could. I just see it as an unsympathetic approach, and hopefully something can be changed to stop this from happening to people in the future."
TT2 said 23 notifications were issued regarding Mr Gilchrist's low balance and insufficient funds, and that previous unpaid tolls had been cancelled as a gesture of goodwill.
A TT2 spokesperson said: "We're sorry to hear of Mr Gilchrist's frustration. When a toll remains unpaid, costs are incurred and Unpaid Toll Charge Notices (UTCNs) are therefore issued to recover those costs.
"We have previously exercised discretion and cancelled UTCNs for Mr Gilchrist as a gesture of goodwill. However, it is important that we apply consistency and fairness for all customers.
"Customers are responsible for ensuring sufficient funds are available and that their payment and contact details remain up to date. In this case, 23 notifications were issued in relation to low balance and insufficient funds available to cover toll payments."
The spokesperson added that notifications were sent to the registered email address, and that the company recognises the importance of helping customers manage accounts, continually reviewing feedback to improve systems and communications.
Alerts introduced to avoid missed payments
TT2 said it has introduced a range of account alerts in recent years, including low balance, critical balance and insufficient fund notifications, to prompt customers and help avoid missed toll payments. Around 98% of customers pay their toll on time, and tolls repay debt from the second Tyne Tunnel's construction while funding operation, maintenance and improvement of both tunnels.
