ANGUS COUNCIL agreed unanimously yesterday to step up its drive to abolish bridge tolls across Scotland.

Councillors again highlighted the unfairness of retaining charges on the Forth and Tay crossings, while those on the Skye and Erskine had been scrapped.

Some who had personal experience of toll-free crossing of the Tay during Tuesday’s strike by local government workers said it kicked into touch any argument that the levy helped to ease congestion.

John Henderson said he often had to drive around the Tay bridge area of Dundee, although not across it, during the peak crawl between 4 and 5 pm.

“The congestion is horrendous but, I can assure the council, at that time on Tuesday there was no congestion at all,” he said.

“How (transport minister) Tavish Scott can say that removing tolls on the Erskine bridge can ease congestion, but retaining them on the Tay also eases congestion beggars belief.”

Council leader Rob Murray said he crossed on Tuesday and it was “a doddle.”

“No tolls clear congestion, not the other way around,” he said.

They spoke out as a meeting of the full council endorsed a motion by Frank Ellis instructing the authority’s chief executive David Sawers to write to all of Scotland’s parliamentary leaders and independent members asking for their support for the immediate abolition of tolls north of the Border.

They also welcomed support by a range of bodies and individuals in Scotland to scrap the bridge charges.

Colleague Joy Mowatt said the council was asking for fairness and equity in calling for the crossing costs to be dropped.

Meanwhile, the argument that tolls should remain on the Tay bridge as it carried debts of £13.3million did not wash with Ian Angus.

“The debt on the Skye Bridge was no obstacle when it came to scrapping tolls there,” he said.

The meeting came after SNP councillors Willie Sawers and Joe FitzPatrick, from Dundee, joined colleagues in Angus to support the campaign to scrap the Tay tolls.

Mr Sawers, leader of the Dundee SNP council group, said, “This is an issue that affects everyone in Tayside and the north east.

“Angus Council are to be congratulated for joining with Dundee City Council in this campaign.”