The cost of crossing the Warburton Toll Bridge is going up for the first time in 161 YEARS

The price of crossing the Warburton Toll Bridge is to go up for the first time in 161 years. The historic bridge crosses the Manchester Ship Canal between the village of Warburton in Trafford and Rixton in Warrington.

The current toll rate of 12p was set by an Act of Parliament in 1863 and hasn't changed since. But it is now set to increase by over 700 percent to £1 after it has undergone a £6.5m upgrade.

The "modernisation" work is set to begin on Tuesday, October 22 with tolls for all road users being suspended from Monday, September, 30. until it is completed.

READ MORE: Life in the Greater Manchester village where you pay 12p to get in and out

The planned work, which has been developed alongside Warrington Borough Council and Trafford Council, would also see a ‘free-flow’ tolling system installed, reducing traffic delays by removing the need for manual toll collections.

Users are being warned that the work will cause disruption and that they should allow extra time or find an alternative route. "Be aware that full closure may be required at times" the Peel Ports Group, who own and manage the bridge, said in an update today.

"Any improvement works involve a degree of disruption, so although this is inevitable, we apologise for any inconvenience and thank all road users for their patience" they added.

They said an advertising campaign will alert the public to any "major updates" during the work and that information will also be available on their website, where people can also sign up to email updates.

Once the work is completed, the fee will rise to 1. The move was approved by the Department of Transport (DfT) after a public inquiry at which councils, MPs and residents all raised concerns.

However, the department said "heard a compelling case in favour of the scheme" and agreed that any adverse impact was outweighed by the benefits of the scheme.

When the fee is increased, a discount scheme will be put in place for local residents where they will get 50 percent off. However Warrington Council said not all postcodes that they had called to be included, for example in Glazebrook, were.

Peel Ports said today the 12p was "one of the lowest in England." "The toll has not changed in 161 years, and we estimate that, if it had kept up with inflation, the toll would now be around £15 rather than the £1 it will be when the works are complete" they said.