Businesses 'suffering' due to A14 issues - report

A new economic report into the effect of the A14 on businesses in Suffolk has been released

An economic report has highlighted the "suffering" faced by businesses due to a "not fit for purpose" road.

Suffolk Chamber of Commerce released its economic report into the A14 on Friday after repeated incidents caused by collisions and breakdowns.

Over 350 businesses were surveyed and 87% of these reported negative impacts from A14 disruptions in the past year.

Paul Simon, head of public affairs at Suffolk Chamber of Commerce, told the BBC the wider country would suffer if nothing was done.

"Businesses are suffering because the A14 is not fit for purpose - constant delays, congestion, planned and unplanned maintenance work means that the A14 actually is costing businesses money," he explained.

"It's costing them customers, it's costing them staff, and in the longer term as our broken down report shows it could have a major negative impact on jobs and investment for Suffolk and beyond in the future."

Mr Simon highlighted the problem was "not just a Suffolk problem".

"The A14 and Orwell Bridge, the Port of Felixstowe, are absolutely key nationally for prosperity in the Midlands, the North and down to London," he continued.

"One of our aims is to emphasise to government that they cannot ignore this. It is not a little local difficulty, it is of major concern."

Fifty one per cent of businesses surveyed for the report, titled 'Broken Down, the economic impact of the A14 in Suffolk', cited increased costs as a result of A14 disruption.

While 49% reported "negative impacts" on client retention and customer satisfaction.

'Business will look elsewhere'

Stephen Britt called for "political leadership" over the issue of the A14

Stephen Britt is the chairman of Suffolk Chamber of Commerce Transport and Infrastructure Board as well as the managing director of Anchor Storage that makes use of the A14 and Port of Felixstowe.

He said incidents particularly on the Orwell Bridge had "knock-on effects" on goods in and out of the port which in turn left to customers getting "upset" when their goods were late.

"Suffolk is a great place to do business, but if the government, the county council and the highways don't get their acts together and come up with a real plan for road infrastructure in this part of the world then I fear businesses will start looking elsewhere," he added.

'Invest in road system'

Mark Ling believed Suffolk was at "full capacity" and could not grow without investment into its infrastructure

Mark Ling, agency director for ICE Transport haulage in Ipswich, said Suffolk needed to look at neighbouring counties like Essex and Norfolk.

He cited London Gateway Port on the Thames Estuary that became the primary port for large vessels from shipping and logistics company Maersk last year.

"We have to invest in our road systems because otherwise our jobs, our prosperity will transfer across to Essex and across to Norfolk," he added.

'No magic fix'

Ipswich MP Jack Abbott has called for the Ipswich Northern Bypass to be put back on the agenda

Jack Abbott, Labour MP for Ipswich, said he heard about issues on the A14 "all the time".

He recently called for former plans for the Ipswich Northern Bypass to be put back on the agenda and also asked Prime Minister Keir Starmer to recognise the plans.

"There's no one magic fix to this solution," Abbott said.

"I'm a big fan of the Northern Bypass. I think it absolutely has to happen, but it will take a number of years.

"These infrastructure scheme always do - we need the money, we need the planning, we need the consent."

'No silver bullet'

James Cartlidge MP for South Suffolk suggested a task force was needed to tackle the issue

James Cartlidge, Conservative MP for South Suffolk, added he wanted to see short-term solutions considered first.

"The striking thing about today is that for businesses the Orwell Bridge is the number one issue," he said on the Suffolk Chamber of Commerce report.

"When it closes or there's wind issues for example this has massive, wider impact on the roads in Ipswich.

"There is no silver bullet, but there are simple things we can do.

"I think notification could be improved so ensuring we are using modern technology to notify people as soon as possible... people know what is happening and can choose not to join the roads and add to congestion."

It comes after National Highways data given to the BBC showed there had been a significant closure caused by collisions about every four days, on average, between 2021 and 2024.

Suffolk's Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) Tim Passmore similarly called for a lower speed limit over a 16 mile (27.74km) stretch of the road and said "something has got to be done".

A spokesperson for National Highways previously said when collisions occurred it worked "closely with the emergency services and our contractors to ensure repairs are carried out as quickly as possible with the least amount of inconvenience".