ANTI-toll campaigners are calling for greater clarity from Labour and Conservative parties on their plans for the Mersey Tunnesl.

It comes after promises from both parties to look into scrapping the tolls.

But campaigners fear pre-election pledges will be forgotten come May 8.

Last month saw Chancellor George Osborne announce a review of the tolls which could potentially see Wirral drives become exempt.

The promise came after pressure from Wirral West hopefully Esther McVey, who branded the tolls as an “unfair tax on Wirral”.

But Labour said the move is an “election stunt” that will backfire on the Conservatives.

In February, the Labour-led local authorities on Merseyside started their own review to get a fair deal for Mersey Tunnel users.

A heated debate between Esther McVey and Margaret Greenwood also raised the issue of the tunnel tolls, with Ms Greenwood referring to a letter from the Department of Transport in 2013 which an official said there was “no such thinking” on considering bringing the tunnels into the national road network.

Today, John McGoldrick, spokesman for the Mersey Tunnels User Association group said: “What the parties will do about tolls is an issue that people who cross the river by road would like clear answers to.

“UKIP have said in their manifesto that they want to remove tolls, but with the first past the post system, it is unlikely that there will be any UKIP MPs from the Liverpool region.

“We are pleased that Labour and the Conservatives have also recognised that tolls are important, but their announcements so far seem to be off the cuff and not consistent from one day to the next.

“We fear that after May 7, the party that forms the new Government will deny that they promised anything at all.

“People may wonder who to believe, particularly as both of the main parties have attacked what the other party has said on the tolls as 'stunts'.”

Last year, the Government promised free bridge crossings for people who live in Halton but no such promise was made for Wirral residents using the tunnels until last month when Mr Osborne said the Tories were “confident” they could create a similar scheme for the borough’s residents.

But McGoldrick has asked why the proposed schemes don’t apply to all who drive across the river and why the Coalition Government did nothing about the tolls issue over the last five years.

Questions have also been raised about Labour’s tunnel-toll promises, with campaigners fearful the review promised by the Liverpool City Region combined authority has “disappeared into the mist”.

Mr McGoldrick said: “We have asked Merseytravel who is carrying out this tunnel tolls review and when they have met. So far we have had no answer. Neither have the Tunnel Users had any response to messages that we have sent to the Liverpool Mayor and the Leader of Wirral Council.

“Before Parliament was dissolved at the end of March, we also contacted all the Liverpool and Wirral MPs for their views on tolls, and the only Labour MP who could be bothered to reply was Frank Field.

“People who live in Manchester or North Wales don't have to pay any tolls, but people in this region have been forced to pay tolls for over 70 years and there is no end in sight.

“Can't we have a clear and definite commitment from the two main parties that they will end the blight of the Tunnel tolls and abandon the planned bridge tolls?"