Motorists will have to pay a fee to use a previously free tunnel in the next few years.

Transport for London (TfL) has confirmed it will be charging drivers who use the Blackwall Tunnel, which connects Greenwich and Tower Hamlets, but the price per crossing has not yet been set.

Thousands of Kent drivers who regularly use the crossing, particularly for work, are set to be affected by the changes.

It comes as some motorists are set to be slammed with £12.50 bills for entering the Ultra Low Emission Zone (Ulez) as it expands to cover Greater London at the end of the month, if they have a non-compliant vehicle.

Although, drivers will have a couple of years' reprieve until the Blackwall fee comes into play.

It will only be implemented once the Silvertown Tunnel, which will link Silvertown and the Greenwich Peninsula, opens in 2025.

The new road under the Thames will be the first to be built in the capital in more than 30 years and is being created to help reduce congestion at the Blackwall Tunnel.

It promises to improve journey times by up to 20 minutes, reduce the environmental impact of traffic congestion and provide more opportunities to cross the river by public transport.

But when the 1.4km route opens, a user charge will be placed on both the Blackwall and Silvertown Tunnel to help manage traffic levels.

As the two crossings would be so close geographically, TfL says it would need to charge drivers using the Blackwall Tunnel to ease delays.

It claims drivers would otherwise cause bottlenecks in the older tunnel to avoid tolls at the new one.

The fee will also pay for the building and maintenance of the tunnel with any extra profits being reinvested into London's transport network.

Drivers will only start paying once the Silvertown tunnel is open and the cost is to be decided nearer the time.