§ Lord Mackay of Ardbrecknishasked Her Majesty's Government:
How many vehicle drivers (a) have refused to pay tolls; (b) have been successfully prosecuted for the non-payment of tolls; and (c) have had the charges relating to the non-payment of tolls dropped, on each of the Erskine, Forth, Tay and Skye road bridges in 1995 and 1996.
§ Lord SewelNo vehicle drivers refused to pay tolls on the Forth and Tay Bridges in 1995 and 1996. On the Erskine Bridge, 180 drivers refused to pay in 1995 and 295 in 1996. None of the drivers was prosecuted as the bridge operator pursues recovery from the individuals.
The information available on the Skye Bridge shows that 164 drivers refused to pay tolls in 1995 (16 October (the date the bridge opened) to 31 December) and 213 drivers in 1996. In the period from opening to 11 November 1997, the Procurator Fiscal pursued 192 complaints of non-payment of tolls in which the accused pleaded guilty or was convicted after trial and did not pursue a further 220 complaints.