A EURO MP says the potential £600m cost of turning the A1 into a dual carriageway between Newcastle and Scotland is a price worth paying.

UKIP North-East MEP Jonathan Arnott said it would make the region a “much more attractive proposition” for business.

Mr Arnott said: “This would be good for jobs and growth in the area.”

On a recent visit to Tyneside Roads Minister John Hayes pledged a decision before the end of the year.

However the Government may be tempted to kick such a scheme into the long grass should the Scots vote for independence on Thursday.

Alan Ferguson, boss of Fergusons Transport, the largest privately owned private haulier in the North-East, said: “We avoid going north wherever possible because of the road network. The road is dreadful.”

A 12 mile stretch of the A1 in North Yorkshire, between Leeming and Barton, was previously made the subject of a £380m upgrade to motorway status following many years of campaigning.