BUSINESS leaders across the region are calling for an end to the "trade barrier" caused by the Humber Bridge tolls.

The calls come as part of the Mail's "A Toll Too Far" campaign, launched on Tuesday, to highlight benefits of reducing or scrapping the charges.

Hundreds of readers signed our petition within hours of it going online, which will be used to lobby the Government to abolish the bridge's £350m debt.

Now, business people from across the city are joining the fight to abolish the tolls, which they say are having a detrimental affect on the region's economy.

Janet Reuben, chief executive of Visit Hull and East Yorkshire (Vhey), said the region's tourism industry was being hampered by the Humber Bridge toll.

Mrs Reuben said: "We should be doing all that we can to encourage people to visit Hull and East Yorkshire.

"This study demonstrates that the need to pay road tolls is detrimental to visitor numbers."

A Toll Too Far was launched after an independent report into the affect of the charges revealed the region's economy could benefit by more than £1bn over the next 25 years if they were dropped.

The report, entitled The Hull Humber Bridge Tolls Impact Assessment, claimed people on the south bank of the Humber are more likely to go shopping at Meadowhall or Lincoln than to pay to travel to Hull.

It stated next year Hull could net a further £45m a year in retail opportunities alone, if the toll were axed.

David Laycock, manager of St Stephen's in Ferensway, said he "firmly agreed" with the report's findings.

He said: "The Humber Bridge tolls are a trade barrier restricting free movement, integration and economic progress in the region.

"We are committed to ensuring Hull City Centre is as accessible as it can be to all potential visitors either to shop or to visit any of the many attractions the city has to offer."

A Toll Too Far is being run in conjunction with our sister papers The Grimsby Telegraph and The Scunthorpe Telegraph.

To sign our online petition, go to www.thisishullandeastriding.co.uk/tolltoofar.html