Regular users of the Dartford crossing paid a total of £83.7 million to cross the river over the course of a year, according to the latest figures.

Account statements from the financial year 2016-2017 also show regular account holders for the Dart Charge made up almost three quarters of the total revenue collected from drivers over the year.

This revenue of almost £84 million paid by drivers with Dart Charge accounts was a staggering increase of £36.2 million from the previous financial year.

And there was another huge jump in revenue collected in fines for people who did not initially pay the toll - which raked in £92.3 million (£32.2 million more than the previous year).

Meanwhile, an enormous £78.8 million was written off in money that could not be collected from drivers.

These figures come amid outrage from drivers who hold regular accounts to pay the Dart Charge, after it was announced they would have to pay 20 per cent more for each journey.

As of October 1, 2018, account holders with 'standard' sized cars (categorised as Class B) will have to shell out £2 each way on the crossing - a leap from the current fare of £1.67.

Drivers who often use the crossing are encouraged to sign up for an account so they can pay a discounted rate on their travel.

However, when the increase was first announced, many account holders claimed there was "no point" in having an account at all.

Leader of Dartford council, Jeremy Kite, accused Highways England of taking an "arrogant" approach to announcing the changes, claiming the council had been given no prior warning of the plans.

A Highways England spokesman insisted the price increases for regular account holders with standard sized cars will make the system more fair.

He said: “More people are benefitting from discounted charges at the Dartford Crossing than ever before. Since Dart Charge launched in 2014 more than a million people have signed up for a Dart Charge pre-pay account, and save money on every crossing.

"With over 55 million vehicles travelling over Dartford Crossing every year, there is an ongoing need to manage increasing demand at the Crossing.

“The Department for Transport has reviewed how fairly the benefits to account holders are spread across different vehicle types and have aligned the Class B rate more closely to Classes C and D.

"From 1 October 2018 the new discounted rate for Class B vehicles at the Dartford Crossing will be £2.00.”