The leader of Northumberland County Council has called for urgent safety improvements at a notorious junction on the A1.

The entry point to the road at Felton has become increasingly busy in recent years as drivers use the village as a rat run to avoid queues.

Traffic jams are common near the village as the A1 goes from dual to single carriageway, resulting in a bottleneck at peak times.

The A1 is managed by National Highways, and the Government has previously pledged cash for safety improvements after the plan to dual the road between Morpeth and Ellingham fell through.

Council leader Glen Sanderson by the A1 near Felton.

placeholder image — Council leader Glen Sanderson by the A1 near Felton.

Cllr Sanderson believes the Felton junction should be top of the list for improvements and that it needs to be lit.

He said: “The junction south of Felton is being used increasingly by traffic using the village as a rat run to avoid the bridge where the traffic goes to a single lane each way, which bunches into a long queue.

“With the dark nights coming and with increasing traffic, it is essential that the junction is lit properly. I have asked for this for years and always been told no.

“Now, National Highways have been given part of the massive saving the Government is making by not dualling the road. I want them to do this properly.

“I have written to National Highways and made the point yet again. This should be right at the top of the list.

“We need to avoid any potential accidents which I think are waiting to happen.

“It is urgent now. I don’t want people to get hurt. The county council is laying out new traffic calming measures through Felton and Thirston to try and stop traffic using them, but the A1 is maintained by National Highways.”

The Labour Government scrapped plans to dual the A1 last year, deeming the plans – controversially greenlit in the last days of the Conservative Government after a string of delays – poor value for money. The Government pledged to bring in improvements at junctions on the single carriageway sections to allay safety concerns after the dualling was scrapped.

Since the start of 2020, there have been a total of 175 accidents on the single carriageway sections of the A1 in Northumberland. Five people have been killed on the route in that time, while a further 41 accidents were deemed as serious.

There have been two accidents close to the Felton junction in that period. Both were classed as “slight”.

National Highways has been working closely with the council to consider safety improvements for Felton. A study, known as the route treatment study, is being carried out in two stages.

The first phase covers the A1 between Morpeth and North Charlton, while the second phase covers North Charlton to the Scottish Border.

Responding to Cllr Sanderson, a spokesman for National Highways said: “We are committed to making improvements to the A1 in Northumberland. Following a study undertaken earlier this year covering Felton and West Moor, we are now in the design phase and looking at which safety measures will deliver the greatest benefits.”