New changes with how to pay the Dartford Crossing toll on the Dart Charge website has sparked backlash from News Shopper readers.

Many customers were unable to access the site following a maintenance period and make payments for their journeys over the Dartford Crossing, according to News Shopper.

As the deadline for payment approached, drivers became concerned about potential fines.

News Shopper readers on Facebook dubbed the changes as a “rip off”, “scam” and “biggest money pit of time”.

National Highways, the organization responsible for the upkeep of the crossing, issued an apology for the inconvenience caused by the ongoing website issues.

Dart Charge released a statement acknowledging the problems and assuring customers those improvements had been implemented.

A spokesperson for National Highways said: “The @DartCharge websites and customer contact centres are all operating.

“We apologise for the service issues users have faced over the last few days and have implemented service improvements.

“While customers may still experience short delays, the average online wait time is now less than 5 minutes.

“We have further extended payment deadlines to ensure everyone has sufficient time to pay the charge.