Last month saw the agency report that non-payment was running at 15% at the end of December. As a result 130,306 Penalty Charge Notices have been sent to drivers who used the crossing in December without paying, which has resulted in a further 73,898 payments being received. First time contraventions include an offer of an extra 14 days to pay the crossing charge without penalty. 18,716 cases have been passed to a European debt recovery agency for issue to overseas drivers.

More than 570,000 Dart Charge accounts have now been set up, at a rate of more than 2,300 a day. More than 1.5 million vehicles are now eligible for discounted journeys at the Dartford Crossing.

Highways Agency project director Nigel Gray said: ‘These figures show drivers are getting to know and understand Dart Charge, and is that our approach of offering drivers an extended period to pay any vehicle’s first crossing charge is getting the right results. The vast majority of drivers are paying Dart Charge and each day this continues to rise.

‘In particular, it’s great that well over half a million drivers have registered for a Dart Charge account and are benefitting from discounted crossings. This means that in many cases drivers are paying less to use the Crossing now than before Dart Charge was introduced. I urge anyone who uses the Crossing more than a couple of times a year to sign up for an account and benefit from savings.’