A woman has died following a three-vehicle crash on the A1 at Felton on Sunday, making her the eighth person killed on the road in Northumberland this year. The incident has reignited calls for the road to be upgraded to a dual carriageway and for safety improvements at key junctions.
Crash details
Police confirmed that a white Nissan Qashqai, travelling northbound, collided with a red Renault Clio and a white Tesla Model Three, both travelling southbound. The reasons for the crash are yet to be established.
The fatalities this year have prompted renewed demands for action on the A1, a major route linking England and Scotland.
Council leader's response
Glen Sanderson, leader of Northumberland County Council, expressed his frustration at the lack of improvements. He said: "I feel very resentful that this road should continue to be like this and continue to cause tragedy. I'm very frustrated not to be able to do more to get what is the main trunk road between England and Scotland into a sensible and safe situation."
Sanderson added: "It is all so unnecessary. There will always be accidents on fast roads, but why do we have to continue to have a situation like this on one of the most important roads in the country?" He noted he has been raising the issue for 40 years, saying: "I am not going to give up, I will continue to do all I can as long as there is breath in my body to raise this issue."
Ongoing efforts and planned works
The council has been compiling updated evidence to support a business case for dualling the road, with work nearing completion. Sanderson said: "We may not be able to do the road itself, but we will continue to shout and not give up until there is fairness and justice for Northumberland."
The Government scrapped plans to dual 13 miles of the road between Morpeth and Ellingham in 2024. However, new Prime Minister Andy Burnham has spoken about exploring potential new funding methods for dualling.
Safety improvements are officially planned for the Guyzance junction, where the southbound carriageway has seen 19 casualties since 2005. Northumberland Labour leader Scott Dickinson said: "Any death is a tragedy. Unfortunately, it continues to highlight the ongoing issue of the A1." He added: "We are hoping to see junction improvements and safety upgrades between Morpeth and Berwick. The safety problems are a big issue for people - my parents were involved in a serious accident on the A1 near Felton and Swarland."
Work is set to start on safety improvements, which Dickinson described as "the first work that is actually positive in many years." He said: "They need to get underway and we need to get them in place and incidents like we have seen only strengthen that need."
