A1 upgrade hope sparked by transport secretary appointment

Berwick MP Anne-Marie Trevelyan replaced Grant Shapps as transport secretary earlier this week

The appointment of Berwick's MP as transport secretary has reignited the decades-long campaign to turn the rest of the A1 into a dual carriageway.

Anne-Marie Trevelyan was appointed this week by new Prime Minister Liz Truss, sparking optimism the 13-mile north Northumberland stretch may be upgraded.

Ex-transport secretary Grant Shapps had said in June he would not make a decision for another six months.

Campaigners said there was now "no excuse" for it not to be done.

They have wanted the stretch - between Morpeth and Ellingham - to have two lanes in both directions to help cut down on congestion in the area.

The Local Democracy Reporting Service said Northumberland county councillor Isabel Hunter, who runs a haulage business, said it was "very important" to get it done as hold-ups on the current road were "a nightmare".

Ms Hunter, a Liberal Democrat, said: "I was travelling on it the other week and when you get to Haggerston it was 20mph [on the seven miles] from Haggerston to Belford.

"The queue was so long I couldn't see the front of it, and there are cars coming the other way so you can't overtake even one at a time."

'No excuse'

She added: "Hopefully now that Anne-Marie is the transport secretary we might get the A1 dualled. 

"If she doesn't, I think there will be some complaints from residents.

"She has no excuse. She is the minister, she needs to do it."

The new transport secretary is also being urged to become involved in the long-running rail dispute.

The RMT, Aslef and the Transport Salaried Staffs Association are due to take strike action on 15, 17, 26 and 27 September which will cause disruption to services.

The RMT rail union said Ms Trevelyan should continue her "on-the-record" opposition to ticket office closures, and there was "clearly now the opportunity for a new approach".

Ms Trevelyan said she looked forward to meeting "all the stakeholders who are critically important to delivering our transport infrastructure".