PLANS to dual the A69 near Henshaw have been uncovered - more than 80 years after they were written.

The proposals, which date back to 1935, have been seen by the chairman of Henshaw Parish Council, Jeff Oliver.

Jeff, who has been campaigning for the road to be dualled for years, explained that the work had not been completed due to the onset of the Second World War.

Jeff said: “Work started in the 1930s. The county council bought all the land from Henshaw Garage to Haltwhistle, which would have been a lot of land, to build a dual carriageway.

“They had plans for a dual carriageway with cycle lanes alongside.

“But then the War started, and after that they didn’t have enough money to do both lanes. If you go there now, you can see that the land is still fenced off.”

Despite pressure to dual the A69, in 2016 the government decided to press ahead with plans to dual the A66 instead.

However, the junctions at Bridge End and Styford roundabout are set for £30m improvements that will see the A69 bypass the roundabouts.

A spokeswoman for Highways England said: “The decision to dual either the A66 or A69 was a decision taken by the government.

“Work to dual the A66 will be included in the next Road Investment Strategy from 2020-2025 and next year we will start work on the two congestion relief fund schemes to improve the junctions at Bridge End and Styford.

“We held two public drop in events on these two improvements in August and work is due to start in spring 2019. This will create 18 miles of continuous dual carriageway between Newcastle and Hexham.”

But Jeff says that the money could be better spent on the road to the west of Hexham, after witnessing several accidents near Henshaw.

“They now want to waste £30m on improvements to the two roundabouts at Hexham and Corbridge when they haven’t finished the job here.

“There’s been a campaign to dual the road for the last four and a half years, but highways have said it’s not that bad. I’ve seen too many people hurt at Henshaw. It’s time something was done. My concern is that someone is going to get wiped out.”

Jeff agreed the £30m earmarked for the two roundabouts would not dual the whole of the A69. However, he argued it could be used to improve safety on the most dangerous sections.