Warning about a new ANPR TOLL on Warburton Bridge over Manchester Ship Canal managed by Excel

Beaudelicious

In 2024 PEEL Ports / ManchesterShip Co managed to push through an update to this small bridge’s ancient Byelaws allowing them to update the 12p a crossing fee collected manually at a booth to a new ANPR Toll system with online payments. I’m sure you know where I’m going with this. 

The justification for this was to cover the expense and upkeep maintenance of the old iron bridge spanning the MSC. It’s believed to carry 10,000 light vehicles per day so upping the charge to £1 per crossing capped at £2 per day was certainly going to pay for that. 

They system was switched on 5 November 2025 and drivers had the choice of setting up a prepaid account with auto top-ups of £20, or pay per trip by midnight the following day in their ‘Guest’ system. Exemptions for pre registered BB holders at no charge. Half price crossings for residents of a handful of surrounding postcodes. 

So it carried on silently with no issues others than some account quibbles and auto top-up failures but no charges were issued. So quiet in fact some people thought it wasn’t working and didn’t bother to pay! 

Then in mid April it sprang to life and for the first time we learnt that the system was being managed by Excel Parking Services. They told us that they would be back dating the collection of Unpaid Toll Charge Notices to 23 December 2025, and sure enough, UTCNs flowed out with 4 months between the Event date and Issue Date. POFA does not apply here. Neither does any ATA or code of practice. There’s one chance at appeal to Excel but no further independent appeal service. No access to the Traffic Penalty Tribunal as this is not local authority land or road. 

So we are just about 6 weeks in now, when the first unpaid charges will have escalated through £31, £61 and £101. Another 2 weeks and I expect to see them generate a letter from a yet unknown Debt Collector with additional costs. My money is on DCB Ltd.

Although Dec, Jan back-charges were limited to 1 per month, Feb & March were 2 per month. April has no limit so some people are now receiving UTCNs daily. Theses are still 4 weeks late and then they take about 12 days to arrive giving little time to pay the lowest charge of £31. Most people thought they had paid but it’s likely the money didn’t go through. The appeal system is very flakey. Paying the fee and the charge will often show card rejections, (something  Excel are renowned for), all the usual traits for making money. Local MPs are queued for meetings with PEEL but these haven’t happened yet. 

I’ll report back when I know more. 

Castle

Do you know if Excel are using KADOE to get the RK's details.

ChirpyChicken

Thanks most interesting

Beaudelicious

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82010244#Comment_82010244

Well the last Kadoe release didn't have Rixton Warburton Toll Bridge listed amongst the No-Fee permitted Toll operators. That might be why they held off charges until 23Dec 2025. As it happens, when setting up a pre paid account,they take all the information they would need, short of your inside leg measurement, not to have to go to DVLA.

Beaudelicious

And another thing, only the keeper can appeal. No shifting liability to an other driver. Of course this makes it a slam dunk failure for lease and hire car drivers.

J63320

I always thought that the toll was nothing to do with the maintenance of the bridge - it was for crossing the bit of land to get to the bridge. I remember when it was 2p return - you paid when you went one way, and got a ticket, which you handed in on the way back.
Maybe Peel have now bought the patch of land?

Coupon-mad

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82010337#Comment_82010337

What is it with Peel Holdings & Excel? There has been a dodgy connection for decades.

Could you show me any evidence of this little entrapment zone, namely:

• sign images please
• a pic of a 'Charge Notice' (penalty?) both sides
• FB or news articles quoting the MPs
• the new byelaws link

I want to show this to the MHCLG asap. IMHO the DVLA shouldn't release data here to any parking firm because this isn't parking. This is a slippery slope.

Even VARS Tech and Forecourt Eye aren't allowed to use the KADOE system at service stations, so if Excel are using it for this moving traffic pseudo 'byelaws offence' how did it get past the DVLA?

And if this is a byelaws penalty, Excel aren't the creditor either.

Only the landowner can enforce a penalty in Magistrates Court within 6 months… unless the skewed way they've re-written these byelaws 'allows' third party contractual charges?

Beaudelicious

For Coupon-mad. A couple of the best copies I have obtained of the UTCN front and back.

Beaudelicious

Signs are all the same but bearing in mind they have also introduced double red lines and no stopping or turning around, as soon as you turn onto the road you are committed to going through the toll point.

J63320

Are these the only signs? Nothing that includes the telephone number for payment if you don’t have internet access?

Beaudelicious

A link to the new Byelaws. Apparently "that the decision was quietly slipped out during Recess, away from Parliamentary scrutiny." Quote Charlotte Nichols MP Warrington North.

https://www.warburtontollbridge.co.uk/app/uploads/2025/07/rixton-and-warburton-bridge-byelaws-2024.pdf