The Tyne Tunnel is leaving a "bad taste" in the mouths of visitors to the North East, a woman has claimed after she was hit with two fines during a trip in September.

Tracey Nobbs, 56, was in the region to raise cash and take part in the Great North Run when she used the Tyne Tunnel in both directions twice.

The single parent, who lives in Wembley, argued she had tried to pay two lots of £1.90 fares when the website left her "unable to complete" the transaction the following day.

She claimed that the official Tyne Tunnel website had remained "buffering" when she tried to pay within the official timeframe - paying by midnight the next day.

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Ms Nobbs, speaking of her frustration, said: "Tyne Tunnel haven't listened to me, they clearly don't care and don't seem to be accountable to anybody. 

"As a visitor to the city, I feel [they] have left a bad taste in my mouth and they are certainly no asset to the city in encouraging visitors.

"Ultimately, it's not my fault that it wasn't paid because I tried to pay it and the system didn't work.

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"There's no one you can appeal to, apart from Tyne Tunnel themselves, and I think that seems crazy. I feel like that's unfair."

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Ms Nobbs said she had used three different cards, even resorting to leaving her computer running all night in an attempt for the payment to go through. 

She then tried to pay the following morning, but to no avail.

She claimed that she later saw a charge come through on her account believing the payment had finally gone through, but this was actually for a journey on the Metro.

But she was shocked to discover two fines for £60, reduced to £30 if paid within 14 days, arriving on her doorstep a week later.

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Since receiving the fine, she said she had felt pressured to pay the fine after being threatened with legal action if she does not pay the fines.

In response, Tyne Tunnel bosses claim Ms Nobbs was correctly charged for two unpaid toll charge notices (UTCN), saying the fault likely lies with her internet connection.

Adding to this, they said Ms Nobbs did not provide evidence of a payment to TT2, but instead provided a payment to a separate company, and her appeal was subsequently rejected.

They also denied there were any issues with their system during her payment windows, and said options included a 24-hour phone line, pay points, and online.

A TT2 spokesperson said: "If customers are having difficulty making a payment, they should contact us within the payment window to tell us that and we will advise them of another way they can pay or make allowances, accordingly.

“Regrettably, for every driver who does not pay their toll, there are costs incurred to pursue the payment of that debt.

"We do not believe that customers who do pay their toll, or the public purse, should bear the cost for those who do not.

“If Ms Nobbs is not satisfied with the result of her appeals, we would encourage her to follow our complaints procedure. Our appeals and their outcomes are independently audited.”

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