HAULIERS have called for immediate action after a section of the A1 flooded again, leaving thousands of motorists facing lengthy delays.

The Highways Agency (HA) closed the southbound stretch of the road near Catterick for four hours yesterday (Thursday, January 15) after water spilled on to it from flooded fields, sparking safety concerns.

Traffic was diverted to the A19 as the agency sent pumping equipment to the scene, but by the time the inundated carriageway was cleared of water shortly after 9am, miles of tailbacks had built up.

The HA said recent wet weather, combined with saturated ground from heavy rain last year, had been exacerbated by the failure of a pump being used to divert water from an archaeology site near the River Swale, as part of the £380m scheme to upgrade the road to a three-lane motorway.

A spokeswoman said: "We have invested in high volume pumping equipment to clear the carriageway quickly.

"It is a temporary problem with that pump while the works are ongoing."

In 2013, a HA review sparked by flooding which caused the two-day closure of a 40-mile stretch of the A1 in September 2012 cleared the road's aging infrastructure of any blame.

The HA concluded unprecedented rainfall was to blame for the chaotic scenes and made no criticism of the aging section of the A1 at Catterick, which had flooded, or its own role in the incident.

The HA spokeswoman added discussions would be held over whether further flood prevention measures were necessary.

A Met Office spokeswoman said its nearby weather station at Ravensworth showed there had been just 6.2mm of rain over the previous five days, 2.2mm of which had fallen on Wednesday (January 14).

She said: "What we have been seeing lately is strong winds rather than rainfall."

When the same section of road flooded in 2012, a month's rain had fallen in 24 hours.

North Yorkshire County Councillor Carl Les said work was needed to prevent further flooding incidents and the authority had agreed to contribute £200,000 towards a joint flood prevention scheme with the HA and Environment Agency for the upgraded road.

Michael Dodds, northern region manager of the Road Haulage Association, said his members wanted to see improved contingency plans following closures of the A1 as delays were proving costly.

He said: "It is frustrating, we would like to see some action, sooner rather than later."