Ministers are always looking for ideas to make Britain's traffic move more smoothly, and the latest scheme involves the busy Dartford Crossing which links the Essex and Kent sections of the M25. Ministers plan to remove the current toll booth system with a free-flowing system, with motorists paying to use the crossing in the same way as they pay for the London Congestion Charge.

Drivers must pay in advance or within 24 hours, by way of mobile phone, internet – or good old fashioned shop. Automatic number plate recognition systems will ensure that motorists play fair, with the not inconsiderable threat of a £180 fine for those who fail to comply.

Drivers have plenty of time to get their heads around the system, which will be rolled out in October of 2014. But critics have described the new scheme as a “Trojan horse” for a switch to pay-as-you-go motoring in the UK.

What some regard as a rather sneaky way to gain revenue from motorists was rejected by the previous government.

A national pay-as-you-drive scheme has long been ditched, but local authorities are in fact able to set up charging schemes under the Transport Act of 2000. However, such is the significance of the Dartford Crossing, ministers have made it into a special case for improvement, and saying goodbye to the old toll booths is seen as the best way to achieve it.

This news may be of concern to many of our annual breakdown cover customers, since such moves could be a sign of things to come. Transport for London is already considering a £2 charge for the Blackwall Tunnel, and a widened stretch of the A14 in Cambridgeshire may also be subject to fees in the future.