‘I can’t pay toll fine and feed my kids’
DAD WILL STRUGGLE TO PAY BRIDGE FINE
A DAD claims he will struggle to feed his family after being hit with a £16.50 fine for crossing the Humber Bridge without paying the £1.50 toll.
John crossed the Humber Bridge to get home to Laceby on Friday, October 29 at 2.24pm, avoiding toll booths because of the traffic following an incident.
Instead, he went through the middle lane on the bridge, used by Humbertag customers - an automated online method.
He claims he later checked online on how to pay if you are not already registered with the Tag service, but claims he could not find his vehicle on the system.
He believes the system is unfair and even offered to pay the Humber Bridge Board £3 instead - double the toll - because that’s all he can afford.
The man is currently unemployed and was crossing the bridge for a job interview in Hull.
The father of three children all aged under ten says every penny they have is vital.
John said: “I was heading back home over the Humber Bridge when I saw a lot of traffic at the toll booth.
“It looked like there was an accident going back for miles and I didn’t want to wait in it. So, I just thought I’d go through the Tag system as I’d never done it before.
“There were no signs or anything about a fine so I just went for it.
“I checked on the Humber Bridge website and placed my details in there, but I could not find a charge for my vehicle.”
But around two weeks ago, John received a letter from the Humber Bridge Board that he had a £16.50 fine for not paying the toll charge.
He said: “I’ve been unemployed for more than a month, which hasn’t been easy. It’s been hard on everyone and money is tight. Every single penny matters. I have really bad web connections at home so I couldn’t check again whether the charge had eventually gone up.
“When I saw the letter, I got in touch with the Humber Bridge Board and told them I couldn’t pay the £16.50 fine because I have to feed my children. I’m on the dole.
“Instead, I told them I could pay £3 - double the toll charge to pass.”
The Humber Bridge Board says it has to be fair on all drivers and the fine is standard procedure.
A spokesperson for the Humber Bridge said: “He crossed the Humber Bridge and unfortunately, he wasn’t able to pay the toll within the stipulated time frame.
“As a result, he was issued with a standard administration fee of £15 that we charge when recovering a debt. We do have sympathy for his situation, but we don’t feel it is fair to the other drivers who have paid the administration fee in the past to make an exception.”
Community in Endike Lane to do some printing, but we came out with a successful application to its bursary fund.
“I got chatting to the team at Unity about Reading with Stanley and they suggested I apply to the bursary, which is available to support local people who are in training or developing projects.
“Stanley and Shaan make a great team. He reads the stories and Shaan takes care of the video production and editing. They really enjoy spending time together doing this.
“Through its networks, Unity was also kind enough to put us in touch with a local business which, during half term, provided a free editing workshop. This was unexpected and such a treat as Sam Cawley from Blink Video taught Shaan some tricks of the trade.”
Stanley said: “We are getting quite popular on social media with regulars tuning in for
Another waterfall site within walking distance from Malham village is Janet’s Foss, a small waterfall within a Natural Trust woodland.
The footpath to there can be rocky and uneven, so watch your step. my favourite stories. Authors from all around the world have started sending their books for me to share too.
“I am also a huge fan of Marcus Rashford, so as well as reading children’s stories, I like to record quotes from his book to help young people be the best that they can be.”
The bursary fund has been set up to support HU6 residents in training and education.
Liam Woods, project manager from Unity, said: “We are thrilled to be able to support Reading with Stanley - precisely the kind of local activity the bursary is intended for.
“Anyone living in HU6 in need of funding for a course or project, may be eligible for one of our bursary or project funds.
“The maximum award to an individual is £250 in any one year and £500 in a five-year period. Grants of up to £100 are also available for some other types of courses.
Malham Cove is a bit of a trek from Hull, it’s roughly three hours by car and nearly four hours by train, with a connection from Leeds required along the way.
Probably the best way to get there by car is to head for the North Yorkshire market town of
“An award can be made for a course of academic or vocational training.
“These courses can be part-time or full-time that lead towards a nationally recognised qualification such as a GCSE course, OCR, City and Guilds, ECDL and more.
“Bursaries can be used to cover costs, including course fees, childcare, books, tools or travelling to participate in a course.
“In the event that funds become oversubscribed, priority will be given to people who are not in paid work, have no formal qualifications, or who have been out of formal education or training for over five years.”
For more information, call 01482 852292 or pop in to the community centre at 501 Endike Lane, Hull, HU6 8AQ.
Reading with Stanley can be found on Youtube, Facebook, Tiktok and Instagram.
Skipton and then take the A65 from there towards Gargrave.
Then take the first right after the sign welcoming you to Gargrave. There are maps and lots of information to pick up at the Malham National Park Centre information centre when you arrive.