Essex's 'heartbeat' road needs funding, say firms

Businesses have criticised the government for scrapping a promise to fund major road improvements in south Essex.

The A127 - which runs from London to Southend-on-Sea - is used by more than 80,000 vehicles a day.

The A127 Economic Growth Corridor has been pulled from a list of projects that could be funded by the Department for Transport [DfT] - a move described as "a disaster" by the county council.

A DfT spokesperson said the previous government "did not fund this project" and it could only commit to those "that are good value for money for taxpayers".

The scheme included proposals to straighten the Fortune of War junction near Laindon, as well as adding an extra eastbound lane and a series of walking, cycling and bus improvements.

The BBC understands £2.34m had already been spent on preparing and developing the scheme before this announcement.

Jody Mears, office manager at hot tub supplier Freedom Leisure Ltd - a few yards from the A127 - said the road was "the heartbeat of our company".

"I think the A127 is as major as the A12 and A13 - we need it [to be] three lanes," she told the BBC.

She said there was an incident "at least three times a week" on the dual carriageway, and had to add the words "traffic permitting" to all of their orders as a result.

The head office for freight and logistics firm Alpi UK Ltd is on an industrial park in Basildon adjacent to the A127, and its drivers use the road thousands of times a year.

Warehouse manager Charlie Mann says it is "crazy" not to fund the scheme.

"We're simply investing in all the wrong areas," he said.

"The main thing we should be looking at is our own infrastructure and we should be making sure that's taken care of - at the moment, we're not."

He called for the road surface to be improved and said delays on the A127 had an impact on his business.

"The quicker we get unloaded, the quicker they get back… it's all time, and because of time, it's money."

Essex County Council's highways department submitted what it described as a "multi-million pound" funding bid for the project in 2024.

Its Reform UK leader Peter Harris said the news was "the latest blow" to the county's economy.

Government promises to pay for improvements along the A12 and the A120 in Essex were cancelled during the last two years.

"Essex residents will rightly question whether scrapping it at this stage represents value for money for the public purse," added Harris.

He said he was seeking "urgent discussions" with the DfT "to better understand" its "rationale".

A DfT spokesperson said "given the challenging financial picture we inherited, we have had to make difficult decisions on a number of road projects".

"We're backing drivers with over £1bn for 16 major road schemes that will deliver the most benefits to local people, on top of a record £7.3bn to repair local roads and fix potholes," they added.

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