HAMPSHIRE drivers have warned of a big backlash over government plans for a pay-as-you-drive system.

Drivers could pay up to £1.34 per mile in road charges if the government press ahead with controversial moves to scrap fuel tax.

But last night there was an angry reaction from Perry McMillan, chairman of the Southampton branch of the TGWU's cab section.

He said: "Taxi drivers and lorry drivers are going to affected by this but once again we have not been consulted by the government."

Mr McMillan feared that it would push up the escalating cost of running and maintaining a taxi. He warned: "At the end of the day taxi drivers are not going to make a living."

The issue is likely to be high on the agenda at the next regional conference of the TGWU cab section. Mr McMillan said the government could expect a big backlash and protests over any plans for a pay-as-you-drive system. Bert Morris, director of the Hampshire-based AA Motoring Trust, said the scheme was feasible but the question was whether it was politically acceptable.

He said: "Will people affected think they are better or worse off?' Road pricing on top of existing taxes is not acceptable. There has to be a corresponding reduction in taxes or duties or lower costs on the transport system."

Transport Secretary Alistair Darling has defended the move to replace fuel tax with pay-as-you-drive He said that change was essential if Britain was to avoid "LA-style gridlock."

Under the proposals, all cars and lorries would be fitted with a "black box" which would track their journeys via a satellite system.

A study carried out last year suggested that charges could range from two pence per mile on rural roads to £1.34 per mile for peak time journeys on the country's busiest roads and motorways.

Although the system could not be introduced for at least a decade Mr Darling said that decisions will have to be made in the current Parliament on whether to proceed with the scheme.

Environmental pressure group, Friends of the Earth has urged Mr Darling to introduce road charging to help cut pollution.

Spokesman Tony Bosworth said: "Road pricing could play a vital part in tackling Britain's transport crisis but it is not a magic wand.

"We need the right scheme in order to cut climate change emissions as well as congestion and we need much better alternatives to the car and more incentives to buy greener cars if we are to truly solve our transport crisis."