SMT protestors plan action

ONE group has pledged to hold a protest against the Royal visit and has already written letters to Her Majesty urging her not to come.

Scrap Mersey Tolls (SMT), a group strongly opposed to charges, has brought forward a protest that it planned to hold tomorrow, and it is now due at the time that Royal celebrations will be held at Catalyst Discovery Centre.

John McGoldrick, of the SMT committee, said: “Part of the tolls plan is to also put a toll on the Silver Jubilee Bridge. A bridge that was officially opened in 1961 by Princess Alexandra, The Queen’s first cousin.

“It will be the first free bridge in the UK to have tolls added.

“Was The Queen aware of this?

“Was she also aware of the unpopularity of the tolls and the terrible penalties being issued at the rate of 800,000 a year?

“Did she also not know of the current controversy because Halton Council have so far done nothing to refund the tolls and penalties which were recently judged to be illegal by the Traffic Penalty Tribunal?

The protest follows an impassioned letter sent by an anti-toll protestor.

The letter, on the SMT Facebook page, talks of ‘deep sadness’ about plans to celebrate a bridge that has caused ‘great financial hardship’ to many of the Queen’s ‘loyal subjects’.

“Therefore, as a loyal subject, I most respectfully beseech Your Majesty to reconsider this visit.”