THE prospective rise in tunnel fees is particularly unwelcome given the low rate of inflation.

How much does it actually cost to run a couple of tunnels?

Try to imagine the uproar in London if Boris Johnson were to slap a toll on Tower Bridge simply to recoup the cost of the Dartford crossings.

And yet that is in effect what will happen to the old Runcorn Bridge when the new Mersey Crossing is operational.

My solution: given the Government’s sudden enthusiasm for fracking, and its promise of massive "royalties", Wirral Council deserves to get a State hand-out for allowing an environmentally friendly DC cable from Scotland on its land at Leasowe.

This should be enough to repay its share of the tunnel debt; Merseytravel could then cut, rather than raise, the tolls making everybody happy.

John Edmondson, Heswall