Kent talks over Dartford crossing 'worst motorway'

An MP who dubbed the approach to the Dartford crossing Britain's worst stretch of motorway has set up "urgent" talks over tackling traffic congestion.

Gareth Johnson said a free-flow system, which replaced toll booths on the Kent side, had led to traffic jams, payment issues and slow journeys.

Government, council and police officers will hold talks on Thursday, the Conservative MP for Dartford said.

Dartford council leader Jeremy Kite has welcomed the move.

He said he was pleased to working with the MP on an initiative that took the issue "to the heart of government".

Mr Johnson said the meeting would be attended by Highways England, the Department for Transport, Kent Police, Kent County Council and Dartford Borough Council.

He said the road was the worst in the UK and it was right to bring people together to see what could be done.

After Mr Johnson raised the issue in parliament earlier this month, Highways England said journey times had "improved significantly".

Nigel Gray, project director of Dart Charge, the new payment system, said drivers had also been given more flexibility about how and when they paid the charge.

He said a new Traffic Safety System was introduced on the northbound carriageway in June and staff were "working flat out to fine-tune" it to ensure "optimum performance and to maximise traffic flow".

The new payment system, which saw barriers removed and motorists charged through number plate recognition cameras, came into force in November.