RENEWED calls are being made for improvements to be carried out on the A1 south of Dunbar.

The UK Government has announced a £250m investment to upgrade the A1 north of Newcastle.

That has led to fresh calls for the remaining single-carriageway sections of the A1 north of the Border to be dualled too.

Calls have regularly been made in the past, with the belief being that the single-carriageway sections of the road – which begin just east of Dunbar – are considerably more dangerous for motorists.

David Roach, East Lothian’s Conservative candidate for Westminster, was among those wanting to see progress.

He said: “The Conservatives in Westminster are delivering for the North East of England, and locally we are campaigning for the same in East Lothian.

“I therefore call upon Nicola Sturgeon to match Conservative ambitions and spend the money needed to complete the dualling of the A1 in my constituency.

“Local businesses and commuters want to see the A1 dualled between Berwick and Dunbar to ease congestion, improve road safety, and help better connect the local economy.

“And they have the Conservative Party’s full support. The A1 is an important route linking Edinburgh with London but, amazingly in the 21st century, parts of the road are still only single carriageway.” The stretch north of Newcastle includes the dualling of 13 miles of single carriageway, as well as junction widening and climbing lanes on the remaining stretch of single carriageways.

A Scottish Government spokesman pointed out that “the majority” of the road north of the Border was already dualled.

He said: “Our operating company regularly reviews the operation of all trunk roads in East Lothian and the Borders, including those on the A1, and takes action to improve safety where required.

“While analysis shows that it is a safe route with few reliability issues, we are determined to ensure that record is maintained.

“We also await the outcome of the ongoing corridor study on potential high-speed rail routes to Scotland so that we are in the best position to evaluate future cross-border road and rail options.

“We will receive no extra funding from the recent Autumn Statement as a result of the UK Government’s roads announcements.

“We have, however, already committed to a range of significant investment projects over the medium term, and published an overarching Infrastructure Investment Plan which sets out priorities until 2030.

“Since 2007 we have placed infrastructure investment at the heart of our economic strategy and we fully except this approach to continue.”