A motorist from Shropshire, whose petition against pay-as-you-go driving charges attracted more than a million signatures, today said he plans to meet a Government minister to hammer the point home.

Peter Roberts, from Lawley Bank, Telford, said he was amazed with the number of people who had signed the petition, which was set up just three months ago and reached the million figure on Saturday morning.

Thousands of people have been logging on each day to the Downing Street website to sign the petition.

Mr Roberts, a 46-year-old account manager, said: “One million is a magic number.

“I am delighted, but the phone has not stopped ringing; it has been hectic to say the least.

“Over the weekend, I had non-stop calls from television companies wanting interviews. I had dozens of phone calls on Friday afternoon, saying it was about to hit the million mark.

“Obviously, it has surpassed all my expectations. Originally, I was aiming to make it the biggest on the website and get maybe 20,000 signatures, but it just exploded and went mad.

“I think it shows how much people do not want these charges brought in – it is the straw that broke the camel’s back.

“The Government seem to have changed their stance and are saying they will listen to the people who signed the petition.

“Nobody from the Government has contacted me yet, but I hope to set up a meeting with transport minister Douglas Alexander to discuss the petition.

The Government has revealed Shropshire County Council’s plans for congestion charging could start in Shrewsbury in four to five years.

The petition ends on February 20 and was today standing at 1,127,551 signatures.