Chancellor George Osborne said: ‘We’re committing an extra billion pounds to roads, including four major new schemes to: upgrade key sections of the A1, bringing the route from London to Newcastle up to motorway standard; link the A5 with the M1; dual the A30 in Cornwall; and upgrade the M25, which will support the biggest port developments in Europe, and I pay tribute to my HF for Thurrock for campaigning to achieve this.’

In addition,  £333m will also be made available for essential maintenance across both the national and local road networks.

David Brennan, managing director of LeasePlan UK, said: ‘The Chancellor’s pledge to invest £1 billion in road improvements recognises the importance of road mobility to our fragile economic recovery. Keeping Britain moving will keep the economy growing.’

He added: ‘But we are still waiting for construction to begin on the road schemes announced this time last year. We urge the Government to move quickly and deliver these much-needed upgrades. Today’s announcement is an important step forward, but further investment is still needed to tackle delays in many more areas around the country, which slow down drivers and hamper business efficiency.’