200,000 fines overturned since Mersey Gateway Bridge opened

Nearly 200,000 penalty charge notices (PCNs) have been cancelled on appeal since the Mersey Gateway Bridge opened more than two years ago.

The figure was revealed in November under a Freedom of Information request to bridge operators Merseyflow.

The majority of the 197,343 cancelled PCNs came in the first 12 months after the bridge opened to drivers.

Merseyflow said this was because they adopted a "sympathetic approach" to those who appealed against their PCNs in the early days of the bridge being in operation.

Under rules established by bridge operator Merseyflow, an appeal (or "representation") against a PCN is either accepted or rejected.

The bridge has received plenty of complaints since it opened - with accusations that it is ripping motorists off and that the way its toll system works is set up to lead drivers into paying fines.

A spokesperson for Merseyflow said: "This figure replies to all representations made since the bridge opened over two years ago.

"Since that time, we have had over 48 million vehicle crossings over the bridge and more than 97% of those journeys are made by people who are either registered users or who pay on time.

Something to celebrate... Fireworks mark the opening of the Mersey Gateway bridge in October 2017. (PA)

"Where people do receive a PCN that they feel is invalid for whatever reason, our representation process gives them an opportunity to raise their concerns. This figure shows that where they are valid, people only have to pay the original toll / charge and not the PCN figure.

"Many of these PCN cancellations were in the first 12 months of the scheme. We recognised that a period of time would be required for the public to become familiar with the scheme, and took a sympathetic approach in those early days.

"This resulted in relatively high volumes of PCNs being cancelled, and us allowing people to just pay the relevant charge for crossing the bridge, even when in many cases their payment was made after the deadline.

"More recently, a much smaller number of PCNs that have gone out have been cancelled, and these have been cancelled for legitimate reasons following a representation by the customers involved."