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The police have detained four people within the preliminary investigation in relation to the incidents at the toll gate at Malakasa. The mayor and deputy mayor of Oropos is also Among the arrested.

Tensions escalated on Sunday evening, when about 500 people, residents of the region and members of the "I do not pay" movement" set fire to a car tyre and damaged a shed in protest against increased toll fees, but also against the creation of new toll gates at the side entrances of the highway.

People who had gathered at the place also raised the barriers at the Afidnes toll gate, in this way allowing vehicles to pass for free in both directions on the Athens-Lamia highway.

The reason for protests is the increase in toll fees on highways, to which concessioner companies managing the three highways have proceeded.

As expected, toll fees have been increased by 30% to 60% in order to reach the maximum levels set out in the concession contracts.

Car drivers will pay 60% more expensive fees at the Afidnes toll gate and the fee will increase from 2.10 euro to 3.35 euro. Drivers will have to pay nearly 1 euro more at side toll gates at Kapandriti and the fee will reach 2.05 euro from the previous 1.20 euro.

The toll fee at the Malakasa side toll gate will increase by 0.55 euro and drivers will have to pay 1.45 euro instead of the current 0.90 euro and the increase at Inofita will reach 0.25 euro.

The fee at the central toll gate at Thebes will increase by about 50%. As of Thursday, drivers of cars will pay 3.95 euro instead of the current 2.55 euro and there will also be an increase of 0.55 euro at side tollgates where the fee will reach 1.55 euro from 1 euro.

Toll fees at both the central and side tollgates at Tragana will increase by almost 60%. The toll fee at the central toll gate will rise from 2.45 euro to 3.9 euro, and at side points it will reach 3.15 euro from the previous 2 euro.

Under the new rates, truck drivers will pay 8.45 euro at Afidnes and TIR drivers - 11.85 euro. At Thebes the toll fee for trucks will be 9.85 euro, and for TIRs - 13.85 euro, while at Tragana the fee for trucks will be 9.85 euro and for TIR - 13.75 euro. There will be similar increases in fees for trucks and TIRs at side tollgates, too.

Along with the increase in tolls, the company "Nea Odos" will introduce a new policy of discounts for frequent users of the points at Afidnes, Kapandriti, Malakasa and Inofita. Discounts will start at 5% from the first to the tenth passage, and reach 50% for more than 50 passages per month at these toll gates.

Moreover, two of the gates (at Elevsina and the Corinth Canal) will be bidirectional and the fee will be 2.10 euro and 1.80 euro, respectively.

However, as it has already been announced, the operation of the two side tollgates at Nea Peramos, Pahi Megaron and Agii Theodore will begin. The only area with no increase will be Corinth-Patras, where new tollgates will not be built until 2015, while the fee at the two existing gates will be 2.50 euro for cars instead of the current 3.20 euro.

Revenues from collected highway tolls reach 1.3 billion euro

According to data on the total revenues from highway tolls paid from 2008 to October 2013, presented to Parliament by Minister of Infrastructure, Transport and Networks Michalis Chrisohoidis, they amounted to 1.3 billion euro.

In particular, the document states that revenues (including VAT) for each concession contract from 2008 to October 2013 were as follows:

- "Olympia Odos" (Elevsina-Corinth-Patras-Pirgos-Tsako): 435,623,473.07 euro.

- "Nea Odos" (Andirio Ioannina-Athens-Malakasa and Shimatari-Halkida): € 441,841,638.94 euro.

- "Moreas" (Corinth-Tripoli-Kalamata and part of Levktro-Sparta): 149,249,153.61 euro.

- "Kentriki Odos" (Central Greece Motorway Ε65): 31,508,913.30 euro.

- "Aegean Highway" (Maliakos-Klidi): 315,362,259.74 euro.