THE staffed booths on the Wirral side of the Mersey tunnels are used mainly by drivers who need change to pay the £1.40 toll.

However, officers are also often asked for directions by visiting drivers, which can cause traffic hold-ups.

Now a solution has been found – a series of handy guides to direct customers to a range of popular Merseyside locations.

The idea came about thanks to a new suggestion scheme launched internally for Merseytravel staff.

Deputy tolls manager Barry Caldow, who thought of the “How do I get to…?” guides, said: “Our contact with customers is very brief, mostly a matter of seconds and often it is for change.

“Our officers try to help as much as possible without holding up traffic, but that can sometimes prove difficult. So we decided to make things easier by producing these new guides.

“Our toll officers are often the first people visitors speak to when they come to the region, so they have an important customer service role.

‘‘We are seeing this more than ever during Capital of Culture year.”