Northumberland councillor says she will only believe A1 will be dualled once work starts on it

Coun Isabel Hunter, who represents Berwick West with Ord on Northumberland County Council and runs a haulage firm, says the long-awaited project would undoubtedly benefit the area.

But after decades of campaigning and numerous false dawns, she says she remains sceptical.

Coun Hunter said: “I would welcome it. It would help industry, it would help tourism and it would be a benefit to everyone – but I’m still sceptical until I see it.

“We have had these promises for many years. I hope these promises come to fruition, but I’m very sceptical. There have been many false promises.

“It is not going to be an easy fix. There’s a lot of work that has to be done, and I will not believe it until I see diggers and spades in the ground.”

Coun Hunter also feared that in some areas, the road would have to be diverted due to exisiting buildings, pushing the cost up higher.

It comes after Berwick MP and newly appointed Transport Minister Anne Marie Trevelyan reiterated her pledge to deliver the project at the Conservative Party Conference.

Following her appointment, Coun Hunter warned that the people of Berwick would not forget if the project was not progressed.

In a speech on Tuesday, Ms Trevelyan said: “Speaking as the Member of Parliament who has campaigned for dualling the A1 – a road improvement first promised in 1992 – and was elected on that promise, delivering on our promises is firmly on my mind.”

Plans to dual 13 miles of the route between Morpeth and Ellingham were included in a list of infrastructure projects submitted to the Treasury by the Department for Transport last week set to be “fast-tracked.”.

There is already a £290m commitment for the proposed dualling of an eight-mile stretch between Morpeth and Felton and a five-mile section between Alnwick and Ellingham.

Speaking to BBC Radio Newcastle, Ms Trevelyan said she was confident the second part of the project – dualling the road right up to Berwick and beyond – would be completed in the future.