A1 dualling cancelled over £500m cost

Plans to upgrade the A1 last year were scrapped

Plans to dual the A1 were cancelled by the government due to projections which suggested it would cost more than £500m.

The scheme to upgrade the 13-mile (20km) section of road between Morpeth and Ellingham was cancelled by the Labour government last year.

The Department for Transport (DfT) said National Highways estimated the cost of the work would "significantly exceed" £500m.

It comes after Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander told MPs the project represented "poor value for money".

She made the comments last week in the House of Commons, in response to questions from Scottish Borders MP John Lamont.

Campaigners have argued congestion on the A1 impacts the region's economy

The figure is a major increase on previous estimates of £290m made by the government in 2014, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

But Northumberland County Council leader Glen Sanderson cast doubt on the figures.

"I don't recognise that number," he said. "If that is the case, the cost has gone up a lot. I would certainly like to see the full figures."

Last week, it was revealed that more than £68m had already been spent on the project, despite work not yet getting under way.

Before Labour cancelled the plans, the project had been postponed three times by the previous Conservative government.

The government took the decision to scrap the plans in October, branding it "unfunded".