Failure to dual A1 in Northumberland ‘appalling’ after sixth person killed in a month

Another fatal crash on the A1 has only increased calls for the road to be dualled in Northumberland

17:23, 23 Jun 2026

Police and emergency services at the scene of a fatal crash on the A1 near Causey Park(Image: Newcastle Chronicle)

Northumberland's[1] council leader has pledged to do "all he can" to ensure the A1 is dualled after a sixth person died on the road in a month. Police are investigating after a BMW collided with a HGV near Causey Park on Monday.

The passenger in the BMW, a woman in her 50s, was pronounced dead at the scene. It follows two tragic incidents in May that saw five people killed in the space of nine days that reignited calls to upgrade the road to a dual carriageway.

Much of the A1 north of Morpeth[2] is single carriageway despite a decades-long campaign calling on Westminster to carry out the upgrades. Northumberland County Council[3] leader Glen Sanderson said it was "appalling" that the A1 remained in this way and said the authority would start work on research to make the case for the dualling project.

Speaking to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, Coun Sanderson said: "It is another tragedy for relatives and friends.

It must be a hellish thing to have to go through.

Council leader Glen Sanderson(Image: Simon Greener/Newcastle Chronicle)

"Our hearts are with everybody involved. It is terrible.

"I will do all I can to try and prevent this. This may well have been avoided had that road been dualled.

"It is not a safe road.

It's absolutely appalling that we still have this ridiculous road, something must be done.

"I can say that instead of just talking about it, the county council is pulling together some officer time to start building a proper business case to the Government about why it is only right that they reconsider the decision to cancel the project.

"The road is simply not able to deal with the level of traffic. Any major road change costs money, but in real terms this is not a huge amount of money to get this job back on the drawing board."

In Autumn 2024, the current Government scrapped a scheme to dual 13 miles of the road between Morpeth and Ellingham after predicted costs spiralled to more than GBP500 million. That came after a string of delays in granting the final approval under the Conservative Government, with the green light only coming after a general election had been called.

As well as safety aspects, campaigners also say creating a dual carriageway up to the Scottish border would help boost economic growth.

Coun Sanderson added: "Apart from the safety argument, it would be the single biggest, most important growth element that any Government could do for the North East.

It would mean that the country recognises Northumberland[4] as a hugely important part of the region."

The Government committed to carrying out safety improvements along the A1 in Northumberland[5] after the dualling scheme was scrapped. However, further details of this, including timescales, have not yet been revealed.

Some residents have called for lower speed limits and the installation of average speed cameras. However, Coun Sanderson insisted this would not solve the issues and argued the work would have been carried out in other parts of the country.

He said: "It is not a safe road.

It impacts the lives of thousands of people and it's not acceptable anymore.

"These minor safety schemes would have a value, but they won't stop the frustration and the confusion that is caused by drivers reaching a single carriageway having travelled all the way from London on dual carriageways and motorways.

"It is a ridiculous mix of single and dual carriageways north of Morpeth. It was bad enough 40 years ago, but now it is just absurd.

"You see significant amounts of money being spent in the south and even on the A9 in Scotland. The problem is Governments just don't get this, and they don't understand how much traffic we have."

The Government has said it had to make "difficult decisions" about a number of road projects due to the "challenging financial picture" inherited from the previous administration.

It also said there were a number of projects, including the A1, which the Tories had "failed to fund".

The safety improvements are being considered as part of the third Road Investment Strategy, which runs from 2026 until 2031.

Northumbria Police[6] are appealing for information after the latest fatal crash. It was reported that a grey BMW 5 Series car was travelling southbound, when for reasons yet to be established, it has collided with a white Mercedes Heavy Goods Vehicle which was travelling northbound.

Anyone with information or footage should get in touch by sending Northumbria Police a direct message on social media, or by using live chat and report forms on the force's website. Those unable to make contact in these ways can call 101.

The public are asked to quote reference number NP-20260622-0711.

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References

1. ^ Northumberland's (www.chroniclelive.co.uk)
2. ^ Morpeth (www.chroniclelive.co.uk)
3. ^ Northumberland County Council (www.chroniclelive.co.uk)
4. ^ Northumberland (www.chroniclelive.co.uk)
5. ^ Northumberland (www.chroniclelive.co.uk)
6. ^ Northumbria Police (www.chroniclelive.co.uk)
7. ^ Northumberland WhatsApp community (chat.whatsapp.com)
8. ^ privacy notice (www.reachplc.com)
9. ^ CLICK HERE TO JOIN (chat.whatsapp.com)