Greek police arrested the mayor of Stylida, located 215 kilometres (133 miles) northwest of Athens on Tuesday, after he used an excavator to remove portions of a highway guardrail to protest against increases in tollway charges.

Apostolos Gletsos faces charges under the Highway Traffic Code for removing the guardrails to allow residents access to local service roads so they could avoid paying tolls, according to a statement on the Greek Police website.

He said he would continue his actions until Fthiotida residents could carry out local trips without charge.

Local residents have no alternative road they can use toi move around their area without paying tolls, while the price of road tolls was recently increased.

Sunday saw protests across Greece over the increases announced for concession-holders, especially in areas where residents have not been given alternative access roads in order to get about their neighbourhoods.

Greece’s Ministry of Infrastructure, Transport and Networks announced during the week that it would issue free access cards for the Pelasgia tollbooth to residents of Stylida and the surrounding area after previously issued cards expired at the end of 2010.

The ministry said there was no connection between Gletsos’s arrest and the issuance of the new cards.

The ministry will reimburse Aegean Motorway Concession Company SA., the private contractor that runs the toll road on the portion of the Athens-Lamia highway, the news agency said.

Source: ANA, Bloomberg