Northumberland campaigners deliver A1 dualling petition to Downing Street

Campaigners urging the Government to end decades of inaction on the notorious road made their way to Westminster on Thursday, after an epic hike to gather support for their bid to tackle a road safety crisis.

The Northumberland A1 Safety Alliance organised a walk from Berwick to Newcastle city centre over five days last week, to highlight their push for upgrades after 11 deaths on the A1 in the county this year.

Alliance co-founder Kezz Petronelli-Stone’s petition calls for ministers to commit to a continuous dualling of the A1 all the way to the Scottish border, after a previous scheme to upgrade 13 miles worth of single carriageway between Morpeth and Ellingham was shelved in 2024.

It also seeks immediate, interim upgrades, including to junction visibility and hazard warnings, to prevent yet more fatal collisions.

Kezz was joined on the hike by Northumberland-based Instagram star Scott Fairnington, known as Scottyfairno on social media, as well Cllr Guy Renner-Thompson and members of the Farmers Unite campaign group.

After ending their march at Grey’s Monument last weekend, the campaign leaders headed for London and handed in a petition of 14,595 signatures to 10 Downing Street.

Kezz hopes that the petition can reach 100,000 names by next February to trigger a debate in Parliament and has invited Prime Minister Andy Burnham to arrange a visit to see the problems on the A1 first-hand.

He said: “We’ve cultivated a very strong following. I think though it started with the road it quickly came to symbolise the neglect we feel we’re suffering. Our farmers, our small businesses, particularly our hospitality sector are absolutely on their knees. Hard working people are flogging themselves to bits with less and less to show for it.”

Mr Burnham has signalled in recent months that his administration could be willing to revisit the A1 dualling, which was dropped by Sir Keir Starmer’s government.

Scott, who has almost 800,000 followers on Instagram and more than 485,000 on Facebook, said: “This is an important issue. The road is awful. I drive on it every day, and in the summer it is diabolical, it’s just ridiculous. People don’t take it seriously until it affects them. Something needs to be done.”

They were joined by Berwickshire MP John Lamont in presenting the petition.

Cllr Renner-Thompson said: “The walk may look like a bit of fun but it’s about raising awareness for a very serious issue we all face here in North Northumberland.

“We need people in London to take this seriously. People like Scotty Fairno and Kezz have a huge social media reach so I’m hoping this will tap into that audience that traditional media doesn’t reach.”

Mr Burnham has asked ministers and officials to explore “alternative ways” of funding the A1 dualling scheme. Since the Morpeth to Ellingham project was scrapped, having been deemed not to offer value for money, the Government has committed to carrying out junction improvements on known accident blackspots.

A scheme has been announced for the Guyzance junction, with a focus on safety improvements on the southbound carriageway.