Irish motorist owes €155,000 in unpaid toll fees

A motorist in Ireland owes the State more than €155,000 (£110,000, $170,000) for refusing to the pay the M50 toll fee, despite travelling on the busy road 1,018 times last year.

This motorist was just one of the hundreds who didn't pay the toll fee after travelling through the barrier-free collection point on the M50 in 2014, costing the State a potential €5m in revenue.



As many as 110,000 vehicles use the toll bridge every day, which became barrier-free when the 'eFlow' system was introduced in 2008. The maximum amount a driver's bill can rise to for a single unpaid journey is €152.60. The toll fee starts at €3.00 for users who aren't registered.

"However, there is no cap on what a driver can owe if he makes multiple passages without paying," Sean O'Neill from the National Roads Authority (NRA) said. The NRA has said that legal proceedings can be issued, and in some cases personal property may be repossessed to cover the costs.