CAMPAIGNERS are planning to descend on parliament with vuvuzelas and a petition to sound their opposition to plans to sell the Dartford Crossing.

The army of protesters plan to blow the trumpets outside the Treasury offices at 6pm on Monday before handing a petition with more than 3,000 signatures to Dartford MP Gareth Johnson.

Mr Johnson will then present the petition in the House of Commons, with the aim of persuading the coalition government to reverse the previous regime’s decision to sell the crossing to a private company.

Dartford Liberal Democrat James Willis, who organised the petition, says campaigners oppose the planned sale because they fear a private company will raise the toll fees.

He said: “This petition is a reminder to government pen pushers that residents demand our crossing will not be sold off to a private company in the spending review published in October.”

Mr Willis added: “We will be blowing vuvuzelas outside the Treasury to give them an idea of just how irritating the idea of the sale of the crossing is to motorists in north Kent.”

Mr Willis and his fellow campaigners have been collecting signatures for the petition throughout the summer, as well as holding regular demonstrations at the crossing.

These ‘Toot If You Give a Hoot’ protests see campaigners holding signs encouraging motorists to honk their horns to sound their opposition to the sale of the crossing.

Mr Johnson says selling the crossing to a private company would probably mean the end of any possibility of the toll being scrapped.

He said: “I want to see the tolls scrapped and I’m not going to give up until we see the back of them, and my fear is that selling the crossing will stop that ever happening.”

Mr Willis and his fellow campaigners will be leaving Dartford train station at 4pm on Monday to travel to parliament. If you wish to join the protest, meet him there or call him on 07838 103350.