Image copyright MJRichardson/Geograph Image caption Maintenance of the two Severn bridges costs on average £6m a year

Sunday marked the final day of a centuries-old tax of paying to cross between south Wales and south-west England before the toll is removed.

Charges on the M4 and M48 Severn bridges will be axed on Monday - saving commuters as much as £1,400 a year.

People have had to pay to cross the Severn Estuary, with its treacherous tides, since Roman times, be it in a car, in a train or on a ferry.

The first written reference to the ferry is in a 12th Century document.

"Monday will be a very historic day," said historian Anne Rainsbury.

"It'll be the first time you can cross the Severn Estuary for free."

The charge for vehicles has been scrapped after the bridges returned to public ownership last year.

Image caption Welsh Secretary Alun Cairns paid the final toll on the M4 bridge

Car drivers had to pay two shillings and sixpence each way after the first Severn bridge was opened by the Queen in 1966.

Recently, the Severn toll spiralled to £5.60 - but the charge was just one way, westbound heading into south Wales.

Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption The ferry was once the only way to cross the Severn estuary by car - so avoiding a two-and-a-half hour detour by road

"It has been forever thus," added Ms Rainsbury, curator of Chepstow Museum on the Welsh side of the original bridge.

"You've always had to pay someone; a ferryman, a railway company or a bridge toll collector to cross the Severn Estuary - so Monday's removal of the tolls is a hugely significant moment, especially in Wales."

The first ferry crossing over the Severn Estuary - which has the second highest tidal range in the world - was between Aust and Beachley, essentially the path of the first bridge, on the narrowest width of the estuary.

Image copyright Chepstow Museum/Tim Ryan Image caption The first recorded passenger ferry across the Severn Estuary is believed to be 1775

The first written reference to it is in a document from the 12th Century when the owner was the Lord of the Manor of Tidenham, part of the Chepstow Lordship.

But the first recorded ferry crossing was in 1775, when it cost a coach with six horses an eye-watering 16 shillings to board the boat on the mile-long route known as the old passage.

"It was a huge amount back then," said local historian Tim Ryan, who is trying to restore one of the old Severn ferries.

Image copyright Chepstow Museum/Tim Ryan Image caption The Beachley-Aust ferry ran from 1931 until the original Severn bridge opened in 1966

"But if you could afford a coach and six horses, then you could afford the fee - and it would avoid a three-day, 55-mile trek around Gloucester to the nearest crossing of the river."

There was a rival and more direct crossing two miles downstream at the so-called new passage, thought to be in operation from 1630, between Pilning and Portskewett.

Both crossings - and a passenger ferry that ran directly between Chepstow and Bristol - were killed off when the Severn tunnel, then the world's longest under-sea rail tunnel, connecting London with south Wales opened in 1886.

The advent of the motor car revitalised the Aust-Beachley ferry and it started again in 1926 - running for 40 years and finishing the day before the first Severn bridge was opened.

Image copyright Getty Images Image caption A picture of Bob Dylan waiting for the Severn ferry was on the cover of the soundtrack to Martin Scorsese's documentary of Dylan

Famously Bob Dylan used a 1966 picture of himself as he waited for the Severn ferry on the cover of his album No Direction Home - the soundtrack to Martin Scorsese's documentary about the music icon.

The Queen opened the £8m first bridge in 1966 while the second bridge, built three miles downstream across the Severn Estuary, was financed by a private consortium set up in 1992.

Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption BBC archive: the day the Severn Bridge opened 50 years ago

Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Demolition teams dismantle the bridge's toll booth

The Second Severn Crossing - opened in 1996 and renamed the Prince of Wales Bridge in July this year - cost £332m to construct, but the eventual repayments including debt repayments, interest and tax totalled more than £1.3bn.

The removal of the Severn tolls is "history in the making", according to Anne Rainsbury, and will boost the Welsh economy by an estimated £100m.

The M4 Prince of Wales Bridge is shut overnight as maintenance teams demolish the toll booths in readiness for toll-free free-flowing traffic.

It will reopen free-flowing and toll-free before Monday morning's rush hour - at a time yet to be confirmed - but with a 50mph speed restriction on temporary narrow lanes.

Shortly after the M4 bridge reopens on Monday, the M48 original Severn crossing will shut westbound until Wednesday for the tolls there to be dismantled.

Further work will be carried out in 2019 to return both routes to a three-lane motorway with the usual 70mph speed limit.</s>Motorists can travel for free for the first time in 52 years on the two Severn bridges as the tolls are scrapped from Monday.

The abolition comes as thousands of people are expected to make their journeys home for the festive period.

Charges on the original Severn Crossing have been in place since 1966, when the fee stood at two shillings and sixpence – the equivalent of 12.5p in decimal currency today.

They were then introduced on the second crossing – renamed the Prince of Wales Bridge in April this year – when it opened 30 years later in 1996.

The current fee for a car crossing from England into South Wales is £5.60, and regular commuters are expected to save more than £1,400 a year.

The tolls were reduced on New Year’s Day 2018 after the bridges were returned to public ownership, but the Government resisted calls to immediately abolish crossing fees.

The Government said scrapping of the tolls would provide an immediate benefit of over £100 million per year for Wales, and over a billion pounds of economic benefit over the next decade.

Businesses will also benefit from strengthened links between communities ranging from west Wales to the south west of England by making it easier for consumers and employees to cross the border.

The final driver to pay to cross over from England to Wales on Sunday was Welsh Secretary Alun Cairns.

“The end of the tolls is a major milestone for the economies of south Wales and south west of England, and will remove historic barriers between communities,” Mr Cairns said.

“Scrapping the tolls means an end to generations of people paying to simply cross the border and delivering this has been one of my key aims as Welsh Secretary.

“A week before Christmas drivers will no longer have to pay every time they cross the border, meaning more money in their pockets, helping them with the cost of living and leaving them with and more cash to spend in their local areas.”

Chris Graying, Secretary of State for Transport, added: “We made a commitment in the manifesto to deliver free crossings over the Severn and that’s exactly what we’re delivering.

“This move will put £1,400 a year in the pockets of thousands of hard-working motorists and help transform the economy in the south west and South Wales creating new opportunities and helping drive future growth.”

Earlier this year, more than 30,000 people signed a petition against the Second Severn Crossing being renamed after the Prince of Wales.

The new title, which has the agreement of the Queen and Prime Minister Theresa May, was to recognise Charles’ 70th birthday year and 60 years since he became the Prince of Wales.</s>Motorists are to be granted a welcome early Christmas present as journeys over the Severn bridges get set to go free for the first time in 52 years.

Sunday is the final day that the current fee of £5.60 will be required for cars heading from England into South Wales and work is being done to remove toll booths from the original Severn Crossing and the Prince of Wales Bridge.

Both are undergoing changes to create a route that means drivers will no longer have to stop to pay, just as thousands of people prepare to travel home for the festive period.

Hannah Milliner, general manager for the bridges at Highways England, said: "Work is needed to make sure that drivers can safely travel across the bridges without stopping to pay a toll, or waiting for a barrier to be raised.

"The weekend we have chosen avoids peak period traffic and also means that the work will be complete so that drivers can make journeys free of charge over the festive period.

"We would like to thank drivers in advance for their patience while we carry out this work and to ask them to plan ahead for any journeys they are considering."

The Prince of Wales Bridge will reopen on Monday with three flowing lanes, although they will be narrowed with a reduced speed limit of 50mph for safety reasons.

On Wednesday, the Severn Bridge will reopen with two free flowing lanes, again narrowed with a 50mph limit.

Highways England plans to carry out further work on the bridges in 2019 to return both routes to a three lane motorway with the usual 70mph speed limit.

Monday will be the first day since 1966 that a fee has not been required to journey over the original Severn Crossing, while the Prince of Wales Bridge has also required a toll since it opened in 1996.

The newer crossing was named after the royal in April this year, despite more than 30,000 people signing a petition against the honour.

Prime Minister Theresa May and the Queen had agreed on the title to recognise Charles' 70th birthday year and 60 years since he became the Prince of Wales.

An estimated 25 million car journeys are made across the River Severn between England and Wales every year using the two bridges, costing motorists in cars and minibuses £5.60.

Drivers in vans up to 3.5 tonnes, double-cab pick-ups and small buses with up to 17 seats are charged £11.20, while goods vehicles, lorries over 3.5 tonnes and buses with more than 17 seats pay £16.70.</s>MOTORISTS will be able to travel for free for the first time in 52 years on the two Severn bridges as the tolls are scrapped tomorrow.

The abolition comes as thousands of people are expected to make their journeys home for the festive period.

On Monday, the Prince of Wales bridge will have three free flowing lanes.

These will be narrow lanes with a 50mph speed limit to ensure the safety of drivers.

The M48 bridge will be fully closed westbound on December 17, reopening on Wednesday December 19 with two free flowing lanes.

These will also have a 50mph speed limit.

Further work will be carried out in 2019 to return both routes to a three-lane motorway with the usual 70mph speed limit.

Hannah Milliner, general manager Severn bridges, Highways England, said: “This is a significant piece of work which is far more complex than simply removing toll booths.

“We want to make sure that journeys can be completed safely and free of charge by the end of the year and will then focus on the next stage of work.”

READ MORE: All you need to know about the Severn Bridge toll closures

Other changes taking place include the closure of the M4 Rogiet Tag office. Information for Tag holders has been provided directly to account holders.

Drivers can find more information about these changes from the Severn bridges website.

Charges on the original Severn Crossing have been in place since 1966, when the fee stood at two shillings and sixpence - the equivalent of 12.5p in decimal currency today.

They were then introduced on the second crossing - renamed the Prince of Wales Bridge in April this year - when it opened 30 years later in 1996.

The current fee for a car crossing from England into South Wales is £5.60, and regular commuters are expected to save more than £1,400 a year.

The tolls were reduced on New Year's Day 2018 after the bridges were returned to public ownership, but the Government resisted calls to immediately abolish crossing fees.

The Government said scrapping of the tolls would provide an immediate benefit of over £100 million per year for Wales, and over a billion pounds of economic benefit over the next decade.

READ MORE: Removal of Severn bridge tolls will bring challenges to Chepstow town centre, meeting hears

Businesses will also benefit from strengthened links between communities ranging from west Wales to the south west of England by making it easier for consumers and employees to cross the border.

The final driver to pay to cross over from England to Wales today will be Welsh Secretary Alun Cairns.

"The end of the tolls is a major milestone for the economies of south Wales and south west of England, and will remove historic barriers between communities," Mr Cairns said.

"Scrapping the tolls means an end to generations of people paying to simply cross the border and delivering this has been one of my key aims as Welsh Secretary.

"A week before Christmas drivers will no longer have to pay every time they cross the border, meaning more money in their pockets, helping them with the cost of living and leaving them with and more cash to spend in their local areas."

Chris Graying, Secretary of State for Transport, added: "We made a commitment in the manifesto to deliver free crossings over the Severn and that's exactly what we're delivering.

"This move will put £1,400 a year in the pockets of thousands of hard-working motorists and help transform the economy in the south west and South Wales creating new opportunities and helping drive future growth."

Earlier this year, more than 30,000 people signed a petition against the Second Severn Crossing being renamed after the Prince of Wales.

The new title, which has the agreement of the Queen and Prime Minister Theresa May, was to recognise Charles' 70th birthday year and 60 years since he became the Prince of Wales.</s>From today there will be no charge to get in and out of Wales.

However, not everybody is happy with hauliers warning that it could increase traffic and costs to businesses.

Hold-ups in crossing the river will mean businesses which rely on transporting goods across the waterway lose money, Road Haulage Association (RHA) chief executive Richard Burnett said.

While he is in favour of abolishing crossing fees, Mr Burnett warned that any increase in transportation costs resulting from traffic would be passed on to customers.

He said: ‘We welcome the abolition of tolls as operators are already working to incredibly tight margins.’

Hauliers ‘have no choice but to pass toll prices on to their customers,’ he added. ‘They then have to pass it on to theirs – everybody pays.’

However it is ‘essential that traffic remains free flowing’, he said, adding: ‘Congestion as a result of increased vehicle numbers will quickly cancel out any advantages resulting from a toll-free crossing.

‘The abolition of tolls on the Severn Bridge will inevitably increase the volume of traffic on this particular route.’

Gregg Griffiths, managing director of transport business Collier Haulage, based in Pontypool in South Wales, said the abolition of toll fees represents a ‘big saving’ for his business.

He predicted the move will reduce costs to his firm by around £50,000 to £55,000 per year.

‘It will go straight on the bottom line,’ he said. ‘We probably cross it 10 times or more a day.’

Crossing the Severn bridges from England into South Wales in a lorry costs £16.70, with fees only applying in the westbound direction.

The Government has claimed scrapping the tolls will provide an immediate boost of more than £100 million per year to the Welsh economy.

Over the next decade this economic benefit will rise to more than £1 billion, it added.

Tolls have applied to the original Severn Crossing since 1966 and the second crossing, renamed the Prince of Wales Bridge in April this year, has always charged fees since it opened 30 years later in 1996.

The current fee for a car crossing from England into South Wales is £5.60, and regular commuters are expected to save more than £1,400 a year.

The tolls were reduced on New Year’s Day this year when the bridges returned to public ownership, although the Government initially declined to scrap the charges altogether.

The final driver to pay to cross from England to Wales was Welsh Secretary Alun Cairns on Sunday, according to the Government.

He said: ‘The end of the tolls is a major milestone for the economies of South Wales and the south-west of England and will remove historic barriers between communities.

‘Scrapping the tolls means an end to generations of people paying to simply cross the border and delivering this has been one of my key aims as Welsh Secretary.

‘A week before Christmas drivers will no longer have to pay every time they cross the border, meaning more money in their pockets, helping them with the cost of living and leaving them with and more cash to spend in their local areas.’

Transport Secretary Chris Grayling added: ‘We made a commitment in the manifesto to deliver free crossings over the Severn and that’s exactly what we’re delivering.

‘This move will put £1,400 a year in the pockets of thousands of hard-working motorists and help transform the economy in the South West and South Wales, creating new opportunities and helping drive future growth.’

Earlier this year, more than 30,000 people signed a petition against the Second Severn Crossing being renamed after the Prince of Wales.

The new title, which has the agreement of the Queen and Prime Minister Theresa May, was to recognise Charles’ 70th birthday year and 60 years since he became the Prince of Wales.</s>Tourism chiefs have called for toll fees on British roads to be scrapped as two bridges linking England to Wales are to become free to use for the first time in history.

Motorists can tomorrow pass over the Severn and Prince of Wales crossings, which both connect South Gloucestershire to Monmouthshire, without charge.

Tolls on the original Severn bridge were introduced in 1966, while the second Severn crossing, which was renamed after Prince Charles, opened in 1996. Car drivers are charged £5.60 to pass over both bridges while it costs £16.70 for HGV motorists.

At the Conservative Party conference in October, Welsh Secretary Alun Cairns declared both tolls would be lifted in a move he pledged would boost the Welsh economy by about £100 million a year.

Tourism groups are pressing authorities to rescind further charges in the wake of the changes, arguing an end to tolls could help visitor numbers flourish across the UK.

Kurt Janson, director of Tourism Alliance, said: “We welcome taking the toll off the Severn Bridge because that will remove a significant barrier for people using the bridge and therefore tourism flows in both directions to and from Wales.

“We are in a globally competitive market where people are able to choose anywhere in the world to go on holiday, so it is important that destinations do everything they can to reduce the cost of visitors coming to their areas, so they can be more competitive, and one way of doing this to to get rid of toll charges.”</s>Motorists can now cross the two Severn bridges for free for the first time in 52 years as the tolls have officially been scrapped.

The abolition of the crossing fee - which was confirmed earlier this year - comes in time for the thousands expected to make their journeys home for the festive period.

Experts have estimated that regular commuters will save around £1,400 a year from the removal of the toll, while some businesses could pocket around £55,000 in transport costs.

However, the Road Haulage Association has warned that an increase in congestion as a result of there being no crossing fee could increase costs for firms that would then be passed on to consumers.

Charges on the original Severn Crossing have been in place since 1966, when the fee stood at two shillings and sixpence – the equivalent of 12.5p in decimal currency today.

They were then introduced on the second crossing – renamed the Prince of Wales Bridge in April this year – when it opened 30 years later in 1996.

Drivers had more recently had to pay £6.70 to cross the bridges linking Wales and England via the M4 and M48 motorways, though this was reduced to £5.60 in January as the fee was no longer run by the government and was therefore VAT free.

Ministers said scrapping of the tolls would provide an immediate benefit of over £100million per year for Wales, and over a billion pounds of economic benefit over the next decade.

Chris Graying, Secretary of State for Transport, said the abolition would save regular bridge users £1,400 a year.

The final driver to pay to cross over from England to Wales on Sunday was Welsh Secretary Alun Cairns.

'The end of the tolls is a major milestone for the economies of south Wales and south west of England, and will remove historic barriers between communities,' he said.

'Scrapping the tolls means an end to generations of people paying to simply cross the border and delivering this has been one of my key aims as Welsh Secretary.

'A week before Christmas drivers will no longer have to pay every time they cross the border, meaning more money in their pockets, helping them with the cost of living and leaving them with and more cash to spend in their local areas.'

Chris Graying, Secretary of State for Transport, added: 'We made a commitment in the manifesto to deliver free crossings over the Severn and that's exactly what we're delivering.

'This move will put £1,400 a year in the pockets of thousands of hard-working motorists and help transform the economy in the south west and South Wales creating new opportunities and helping drive future growth.'

Gregg Griffiths, managing director of transport business Collier Haulage, based in Pontypool in South Wales, said the abolition of toll fees represents a 'big saving' for his business.

Crossing the Severn bridges from England into South Wales in a lorry costs £16.70, with fees only applying in the westbound direction - as they do for car drivers.

Mr Griffiths predicted the move will reduce costs to his firm by around £50,000 to £55,000 per year.

'It will go straight on the bottom line,' he said. 'We probably cross it 10 times or more a day.'

However, some have warned that the removal of the toll could increase traffic and costs to businesses.

Richard Burnett, chief executive at the Road Haulage Association, said additional congestion at the crossing could means increase in transportation costs that would then be passed on to customers.

He said: 'We welcome the abolition of tolls as operators are already working to incredibly tight margins.'

Hauliers 'have no choice but to pass toll prices on to their customers,' he added. 'They then have to pass it on to theirs – everybody pays.'

However it is 'essential that traffic remains free flowing', he said, adding: 'Congestion as a result of increased vehicle numbers will quickly cancel out any advantages resulting from a toll-free crossing.

'The abolition of tolls on the Severn Bridge will inevitably increase the volume of traffic on this particular route.'

Earlier this year, more than 30,000 people signed a petition against the Second Severn Crossing being renamed after the Prince of Wales.

The new title, which has the agreement of the Queen and Prime Minister Theresa May, was to recognise Charles' 70th birthday year and 60 years since he became the Prince of Wales.</s>Commuters celebrating the abolition of tolls across the Severn bridges are treating the scoop like a "really good pay rise". Many drivers dependent on the bridges to cross between England and Wales can now save upward of £1,000 on fees annually. Charges for crossing the bridges were scrapped on Monday, 52 years after they were built. Teacher Seb Leer is one of those who can live a little more comfortably now the changes have come into effect. Mr Leer travels between Bristol and Chepstow every day and believes the extra money in his pocket will in effect give him the biggest pay rise he has seen.

Mr Leer, who has made the journey for more than two and a half years, works at The Dell Primary School. He told ITV News: "I've always said it's a small price to pay working at a school like this, but it does take its toll - something like £122 a month. "Over a year, as a teacher, that's cost me over a grand. "I've worked here for two and a bit years, so two grand I've spent just crossing a bridge."

Mr Leer continued: "That's going to make a huge difference to just living comfortably in the future. "I'm just going to be able to enjoy myself a little bit more, relax and not be worried about bills going out at the end of the month and being skint." He added: "It's always very tight, so an extra £112 is going to be like a really good pay rise that I'm going to enjoy."

Charges on the original Severn Crossing have been in place since 1966, when the fee stood at two shillings and sixpence - the equivalent of 12.5p in decimal currency today. They were then introduced on the second crossing - renamed the Prince of Wales Bridge in April this year - when it opened 30 years later in 1996. The UK Government said scrapping the tolls will provide an immediate benefit of over £100 million per year for Wales.</s>Paying to enter south Wales on the motorway is ending as the Severn tolls are abolished after 52 years.

The removal of the fee, which was £5.60 for a car, on the M4 and M48 bridges between south west England and Wales may save commuters up to £1,400 a year.

The Queen opened the first bridge in 1966 and now 25 million journeys a year are made across both bridges.

Toll booths on the M4 bridge have started to be taken down and will reopen toll-free "before rush hour".

It is the first time in history that travellers will be able to cross the Severn Estuary that separates Monmouthshire and south Gloucestershire for free.
• How the Severn Bridge Was Built

It is predicted the toll removal will give a £100m boost to the Welsh economy but 100 toll collectors and administrative staff have been made redundant.

The toll on the M4 and M48 bridges - paid as drivers head westbound into Wales - was initially reduced on New Year's Day in 2018 after they returned to public ownership.

Wales' previous First Minister Carwyn Jones had called for the toll, which is worth up to £10m a month for the UK Government, to be scrapped straight away on 1 January 2018.

But the Department for Transport said the fees collected in 2018 would help pay to phase out tolling and pay towards the estimated annual maintenance and operational cost bill of £15m.

The UK Government has expressed concern that toll removal could see traffic rise by six million more vehicles a year which could increase congestion further along the M4 at Newport's infamous traffic bottleneck, the Brynglas Tunnels.

But scrapping the Severn toll has been welcomed by businesses who claimed the "tax" was a barrier to trade.

Transport Secretary Chris Grayling said it will "help transform" the Severnside economy.

The ending of tolls on the Severn crossings lifts not just a physical and financial barrier but also a psychological one.

For those that have had to queue at the toll plaza, the frustration they feel at delays and charges can form a barrier than can give the impression that Wales is a less attractive place to do business - or to live or play.

Those queues to enter Wales have at times been lengthy and that's not been a good advert for Wales for would-be tourists nor for potential investors.

What toll removal does is make Wales and the south-west of England feel closer psychologically. Easier to commute, easier to shop, easier to trade. House buying patterns are already changing and commuting will follow.

The big question is whether both sides of the bridges can be winners. The challenge for Wales is to make the most of being more easily connected to Bristol, the fastest growing city outside London.

Welsh Secretary Alun Cairns, who paid the final toll over the second crossing on Sunday, said: "The end of the tolls is a major milestone for the economies of south Wales and south west of England, and will remove historic barriers between communities.

"Scrapping the tolls means an end to generations of people paying to simply cross the border....meaning more money in their pockets, helping them with the cost of living and leaving them with and more cash to spend in their local areas."

The toll removal has seen the ripple effects of the booming Bristol economy, reported to be second only to London in the UK, in south-east Wales.

Average house prices have risen faster in the two Welsh Severnside towns of Chepstow and Caldicot - 16% and 12% respectively - than in any other UK town since it the July 2017 announcement that the tolls would be cut.

Property experts Zoopla said Bristol it is the second most expensive area to buy a property in the UK - behind London - and only house prices in Manchester are rising quicker than in Bristol.

The UK Government and the Welsh Government don't agree on many things these days. But ministers at both ends of the M4 support abolishing the tolls on the Severn bridge.

They also agree that traffic flow will increase on both sides of the bridge when the tolls go. Where things get a little more tricky for ministers in Cardiff Bay is how they intend to cope with that extra traffic.

In the past they've said it was part of the reason the M4 relief road is needed. But as the future of the £1.4 billion scheme hangs in the balance, the extra vehicles using that busy stretch of road could cause more of a headache for motorists.

About 6,000 new properties are either planned or being built within 10 miles of both bridges on the Welsh side of the Severn Estuary, which is attracting an influx of people relocating from Bristol "to get more property for their money".

"Over the last couple of years and in particular in the last 18 months, the three-bedroom market and four-bedroom has had a huge increase in prices," said Caldicot estate agent Nathan Reeks.

"We've gone from, about £140,000 and we're now pushing to a quarter of a million pounds."

But there are fears local roads and services like doctors and schools will not be able to cope with the "extra pressure" on infrastructure.

And locals fear south Monmouthshire could become "gentrified" and make buying a house "extremely difficult" for those who have grown up in the area.

"There's about 1,000 or so extra properties planned for the Chepstow area alone but that will stretch our doctors' surgeries, schools and other essential basic provision," said Monmouthshire councillor Armand Watts, whose ward includes the original Severn Bridge.

"The roads around here are packed at rush hour as it is, add another 1,000 cars and we'll be gridlocked. Driving to Bristol will be the preferred choice as the train there from Chepstow is not direct so that's not going to be an attractive option.

"And with house prices rising rapidly, it's becoming almost impossible for those to get on the property ladder in the place they call home. Local people need support otherwise we're in danger of becoming gentrified."

But the toll removal is benefitting commuters and local workers as it "opens up enormous employment potential" in warehouses and offices on either sides of the Severn Estuary.

"The bridge toll going is massive," said recruitment consultant Stuart Martin, whose Caldicot firm Castlegate has 5,000 clients.

"For those lowest paid workers having to cross the bridge every day, it's a 10% pay rise at a stroke. In these times of austerity, that cannot be underestimated.

"I've had a 40% rise of people from Bristol coming to me looking for work in south Wales. That financial roadblock to an open Severnside marketplace has gone."

The M4's Prince of Wales bridge will reopen as a free-flowing toll-free bridge "before morning rush hour" - at a time to be confirmed by Highways England - but with a 50mph (80km/h) speed restriction on temporary narrow lanes.

Shortly after the M4 bridge reopens later, the M48 original Severn crossing between Chepstow and Aust will shut westbound until 07:00 GMT Wednesday, for the tolls to be dismantled.

Further work will be carried out in 2019 to return both routes to a three-lane motorway with the usual 70mph speed limit.

The removal of the Severn tolls mean there are two remaining charges on British motorways - at the M25 Dartford Crossing at the River Thames and the M6 toll motorway in the West Midlands.

Now the only remaining toll road in Wales is Pembrokeshire's Cleddau Bridge which connects Pembroke Dock and Milford Haven - but that fee will be scrapped in April.</s>Drivers crossing between England and Wales will have a few more quid in their pockets as the Severn Bridge tolls are scrapped from Monday.

And pictures show workmen demolishing the tollbooths with excavators, saws, cranes and water jets, with work having started on Friday and continuing over the weekend.

Tolls will no longer be charged from first thing on December 17, resulting in the potential loss of 100 jobs - but motorists will save £5.60 on a car crossing.

Regular commuters are expected to save more than £1,400 per year, report Wales Online .

The abolition comes as thousands of people are expected to make their journeys home for the festive period.

Charges on the original Severn Crossing have been in place since 1966, when the fee stood at two shillings and sixpence - the equivalent of 12.5p in today's decimal currency.

They were then introduced on the second crossing - renamed the Prince of Wales Bridge in April this year - when it opened 30 years later in 1996.

The Government said scrapping of the tolls would provide an immediate benefit of over £100 million per year for Wales, and over a billion pounds of economic benefit over the next decade.

The final driver to pay to cross over from England to Wales on Sunday was Welsh Secretary Alun Cairns.

He said: "The end of the tolls is a major milestone for the economies of south Wales and south west of England, and will remove historic barriers between communities.

"Scrapping the tolls means an end to generations of people paying to simply cross the border and delivering this has been one of my key aims as Welsh Secretary.

"A week before Christmas drivers will no longer have to pay every time they cross the border, meaning more money in their pockets, helping them with the cost of living and leaving them with and more cash to spend in their local areas."

Chris Graying, Secretary of State for Transport, added: "We made a commitment in the manifesto to deliver free crossings over the Severn and that's exactly what we're delivering.

"This move will put £1,400 a year in the pockets of thousands of hard-working motorists and help transform the economy in the south west and South Wales creating new opportunities and helping drive future growth."

On Wednesday December 19, the Prince of Wales Bridge will reopen fully with two free-flowing lanes, with a 50mph speed limit to ensure the safety of drivers.
Tolls are scrapped for the Severn crossing bridges connecting England and South Wales, making travel across the River Severn free for all commuters for the first time in 800 years.