According to their figures, motorists forked out 28.2 million euros in 2014 to use the A22 motorway, up 4.5 million euros from the total revenue taken the year before.

The amount means that the bill on taxpayers to support the maintenance and use of the motorway by 47 percent when it was totally free to use.

The A22 has seen receipts grow by 38 percent since toll gantries were erected in 2012, and also saw year-on-year traffic on the route increase by 19 percent in 2014.