THE Government has been urged not to skimp on long-awaited upgrades announced today (Monday, November 10) to the region's road network.

The Prime Minister revealed that the Autumn Statement, due early next month, would include funding for improvements to the A1 north of Newcastle and the western bypass near Gateshead.

However, while the investment was welcomed, MPs, business leaders and engineers said they would reserve judgement on the schemes until more details were revealed.

Campaigners hope the full length of the A1 between Newcastle and Scotland will be made into dual carriageway, but upgrades to shorter stretches have previously been proposed.

Commenting on this scheme, North East chamber of commerce policy and research manager, Mark Stephenson, said:“To secure investment in this important route through Northumberland after so many years of lobbying by businesses and communities along the A1 is a step forward, although we await detail on the extent of the investment.

“The North East is the closest English region to Scotland’s economic heartbeat and better links with Edinburgh and its industrial hub can only be of benefit."

But Newcastle North MP and Labour's Treasury spokeswoman, Catherine McKinnell, said the "devil was in the detail".

"We need to hear more about exactly what these improvements will involve, when the work will actually start and how it’s going to be funded."

Penny Marshall, regional director of the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) North East, welcomed the announcement, made at the Confederation of British Industry’s (CBI) annual conference in London.

However, she also added: "We await more detail such as how much, if any, of the upgrade will involve making the road dual carriageway.

"It is important now for the Government to lay out a time frame for this work, as well as the scope of the project, and stick to that.”

The Civil Engineering Contractors’ Association (North East) director Douglas Kell went further, claiming that with the amount of construction work taking place elsewhere in the country and lack of major schemes in the North-East starting now, thousands of skilled workers could be sucked out of the North-East’s construction and civil engineering labour market.

He added: "Are we talking about new money or a re-announcement of old money? Are there to be new schemes of a substantial value? On behalf of our industry I very much hope so."

Simon Bowens, Friends of the Earth North-East campaigner, added :"We should be investing in cleaner alternatives to the car, such as better and cheaper rail travel - not new road-building that will cause more traffic, more pollution and make it harder to meet our targets for tackling climate change."

Work to widen a four-miles stretch of the A1 on the western bypass at Gateshead began earlier this year, with a third lane being created in both directions. However, campaigners want to see further improvements on the route.