Ford employee from Swanley unable to pay for Dart Charge’s LRDS for Dartford Crossing

Motorists are still encountering problems with the newly-upgraded Dart Charge system.

Drivers eligible for the Dartford Crossing Local Residents Discount Scheme (LRDS) have found the process to upload documents is still not working on the website.

Aaron Porter, who lives by Joyden’s Wood near Swanley, uses the bridge and tunnel almost daily.

The 41-year-old said: “I am a Ford employee at the Dagenham Engine Plant, so I use the crossing when commuting from home to work and I have noticed that there is an issue with the LRDS renewal process.”

If you use the Dartford Crossing, and your local authority is either Dartford council or Thurrock council, the government website confirms you can apply for a discount.

After showing proof that you live in the area you can get unlimited crossings for a £20 annual fee.

Aaron continued: “Every two years you are required to send proof of vehicle ownership and residency in the Dartford borough.

“This was previously done by sending photos to a LRDS-specific email address and was normally completed within a week.

“I received an email to say I needed to send my proofs about four weeks ago. There was a link to do this through the Dart Charge website.

“But this link got to a certain point where you couldn't progress to upload the PDFs they required.”

At the end of July, the Dart Charge automatic payment system was not in place while updates were installed.

A National Highways spokesman explained at the time that the automatic payment system for journeys would be unavailable will improvements were being made from Friday, July 28, until Sunday, July 30.

Users were not able to pay for crossings or access their Dart Charge accounts.

However, a month later Dart Charge operators were under fire for failing to sort out chaos caused by the “improvements” to the payment system.

Drivers had been struggling to settle their accounts after the update.

After multiple attempts Aaron got in touch with the agency in charge which gave him an email address to send his proofs to.

He explained: “A week after sending them I had an email saying my application for my renewal had been unsuccessful, this is despite sending exactly what they required.

“After another phone call, I have been given a different email address.

“I have sent my proofs once again to the new address and as yet I have yet to receive confirmation that it has been approved.

“My date for renewal is September 28, if it isn't approved before then, Dart Charge has told me they will charge me the standard rate for crossings which is £2 per crossing rather than unlimited crossings for a £20 annual fee.”

Aaron said his issue has been highlighted in a group on Facebook by various other motorists.

However, no one seems to have had any success with their renewals.

Dartford’s Labour KCC councillor, Kelly Grehan, wrote a letter to National Highways after learning of people’s struggles with the system.

She said: “I represent residents in Dartford North East.

“I am told that issues with the Dart Charge are persisting and causing residents issues.

“I understand local residents' are unable to upload their documents online to prove where they live and vehicle ownership status.

“People tell me they have sent their correct documents multiple times in the correct format and have been given different email addresses to send them to by Dart Charge and as yet still have not been approved.

“This means they are missing out on the discount they are entitled to.

“Can you please confirm when this issue will be resolved and how residents can claim back the money they have lost as a result?”

She has yet to get a reply.

A National Highways spokesman said: “The majority of Dart Charge account holders have been able to update their details and pay for their crossings on the website, with others opting to pay via the contact centre interactive voice recording (IVR), and others over the phone.

“We are aware of some customers who have been impacted by issues with the new system, but we would like to reassure people we are working around the clock with these customers to rectify them.”