New calls for A1 in Northumberland to be dualled, following fatal collisions
A string of fatal collisions on the A1 in Northumberland has renewed calls for the road to be dualled.
Calls for safety improvements on the A1 in Northumberland have intensified after five people died in two major incidents just nine days apart. Local campaigners have described the current situation as “the worst it has ever been” as more and more traffic uses the key route.
There have long been calls to dual the road over safety concerns, while more recently there have also been concerns raised about the impact on small villages that are used as “rat runs” when the road is closed or congested. The Government has now pledged to improve safety at certain junctions in the county, but further details – including timescales – have yet to be confirmed.
Since the end of last May, there have been at least 15 serious incidents on the A1 in the county. Nine people have lost their lives, with many more requiring hospital treatment. The Local Democracy Reporting Service has listed those incidents below:
May 29, 2025 – A person had to be cut out of a car following a five-vehicle collision on the A1 north of Belford. The road remained closed for around four hours.
July 14, 2025 – A motorcyclist died following a crash on the A1 close to South Charlton. A silver Volvo XC90 was crossing the northbound carriageway when, for reasons yet to be established, it collided with two Honda motorcycles. One of the motorcycle riders, a woman in her 50s, was sadly pronounced dead at the scene, while the second – a man in his 50s – was taken to hospital for treatment of injuries not believed to be serious, and was later discharged.
August 11, 2025 – Two people were seriously injured following a head-on collision on the A1 north of the junction for the B6525 at Scremerston, near Berwick. It was reported that a silver Vauxhall Astra and a red Volkswagen Golf had been involved in a head-on collision. A passenger from one of the involved vehicles received treatment for minor injuries. A section of the road, between the A1167 Scremerston Roundabout at the B6525 towards Ancroft and Doddington, was closed in both directions to allow for recovery.
September 1, 2025 – A section of the A1 near Berwick was closed for over 12 hours after a lorry carrying chilled meat overturned and shed its load. The incident took place between the A1167 south in Scremerston and the A698 in Berwick. No-one was injured.
September 15, 2025 – Three people were taken to hospital after a crash on the A1 near Alnwick. Emergency services, including the Great North Air Ambulance Service, were called to a three-vehicle collision which saw the road closed for several hours.
October 17, 2025 – Four people were taken to hospital after a two-vehicle collision on the A1 southbound at Ellingham. A section of the road was closed in both directions.
January 15, 2026 – Two people died after a serious collision at Buckton between Belford and Haggerston. It was reported that a HGV travelling northbound had collided with a Skoda and Audi both travelling southbound.
January 29, 2026 – A woman died and a man was left in a critical condition after a single-vehicle crash on the A1 at Highfields Roundabout, near the junction with the A1167 North Road.
February 6, 2026 – Two people were taken to hospital after a four-vehicle crash. The collision took place near the Swarland turn-off.
February 23, 2026 – Eight people were hospitalised after a two-vehicle collision on the A1 at Rosebrough, south of Purdey Lodge and North of Brownieside
April 27, 2026 – Four people were hospitalised after a crash on the A1 between the B1340 Denwick and the A1167 Berwick junctions. The road was closed with traffic diverted through Seahouses and Bamburgh.
May 5, 2026 – Two people were hospitalised after two cars collied with a motorhome on the A1 North of Alnwick. A closure was enforced for nine hours with the emergency services working at the scene.
May 21, 2026 – Three people were killed and a fourth was left in hospital with serious injuries after a serious incident between Denwick and South Charlton. A silver Volkswagen Polo was travelling northbound when, for reasons yet to be established, it collided with a red Hyundai i20 travelling in the opposite direction. A man in his 80s, a woman in her 70s ad a woman in her 60s all died at the scene, while a man in his 60s was airlifted to hospital with serious injuries. The road was closed for around seven hours following the crash.
May 30, 2026 – Two people died and three people were hospitalised with serious injuries following a crash at the junction for Wandylaw, north of Alnwick. It was reported that a silver Nissan Juke car was travelling southbound when, for reasons yet to be established by police, it collided with a blue Vauxhall Corsa car travelling in the opposite direction. The drivers of both vehicles – a woman in her 50s from the Juke and a man in his 40s from the Corsa – were pronounced dead at the scene. Two passengers in the Juke – a woman in her 20s and a secondary-school aged boy – along with a female passenger from the Corsa in her 20s, were all been taken to hospital for treatment of serious injuries.
May 31, 2026 – the A1 was closed for around an hour at the Charlton Hall junction after a two-vehicle collision. Only minor injuries were reported.
The owner of a popular Northumberland wedding venue has joined calls for the A1 to be dualled. Entrepreneur Richard Shell, who owns Charlton Hall north of Alnwick, said the high number of accidents on the nearby A1 has left him feeling “uneasy” when using the major route.
It comes after five people were killed in two accidents within the space of nine days. On Sunday, the A1 was shut at the Charlton Hall junction following an accident that left those involved with minor injuries.
Mr Shell said: “It never stops. It makes me feel uneasy when I’m driving on it knowing how many people have been killed and injured.
“From my point of view, Charlton Hall Road is not fit for purpose. I have been speaking to Highways England for years about the A1.
“How many more deaths do we need before they’re going to do something about it? We have hundreds of people coming in and out every day, my children, my staff and my customers all have to use that road.
“Trying to get them to do something about it is like trying to get blood from a rock. It doesn’t seem like it’s going to be sorted out any time soon.
“It just doesn’t make sense, we’re losing lives here. We’re totally forgotten about here.”
Campaigners have long called for the A1 to be dualled in Northumberland due to safety concerns as well as issues around congestion. However, any optimism about the scheme was dashed when the Government scrapped the plans in October 2024 and claimed it was unaffordable.
The Department for Transport has committed to carrying out safety improvements along the route. However, local leaders have raised concern that this will not be enough to address the core issues.
In recent years, more and more tourists have used the road as the county, and in particular the coast, becomes a more and more popular holiday destination.
Mr Shell added: “Northumberland is becoming more and more known. We’re not hidden away anymore, tourists want to come here.
“Last Friday, I have never seen the A1 like that with how much traffic there was. We’re investing to bring people to the county, but our infrastructure isn’t being brought up to standard.”
The Government has said the case to dual the road will not be reopened, but safety improvements are being actively worked on.