IF the North-East is to play its full part in a post-Brexit Britain we need great road links.

The £380m scheme to widen 12 miles of the A1 in North Yorkshire between Leeming and Barton cannot come too soon.

Very little has been done to this stretch of the A1 since the early 1960s when it was upgraded in sections as part of a Government commitment to make the entire A1 dual carriageway. But since then the amount of traffic using the road has increased way beyond even the most optimistic predictions 50 years ago.

The engineers who designed the original M1 estimated traffic flows of up to 20,000 cars. It now carries more than 140,000. Without upgrades parts of the road network will literally grind to a halt at peak periods.

Once the Leeming/Barton scheme is complete the A1 will be motorway standard all the way from London to Newcastle.

According to Highways England, journey times on that stretch of road will be slashed by 20 per cent. The scheme will also reduce congestion and make the A1 safer for all drivers. Statistically, motorways are four times safer than general purpose A-roads.

Unfortunately, as we reveal today, the scheme has fallen behind schedule and work is now expected to carry on until the end of the year.

That means the 50mph limit – rigidly enforced by SPECS average speed cameras – will be in place for six months longer than originally envisaged.

This is especially frustrating when so much of the work, especially at the southern end, appears to be finished.

Highways England could ameliorate drivers’ frustrations by opening up as much of the upgraded road as it can as soon as possible. We hope the agency will make good on its promise to review the project in the summer.

As for the rest, the phrase “no pain, no gain” springs to mind.