Category: Gov Press Releases

The 43 year-old viaduct, which carries the existing A14 over the railway line and local roads currently dominates the skyline near the Huntingdon train station. Removing it, and creating link roads to and from the old A14, is an important part of the A14 Cambridge to Huntingdon scheme, which is upgrading 21 miles of the A14 to three lanes in each direction, including a brand new bypass south of Huntingdon.

The plans will enable a major redesign of the Huntingdon train station area. A new public transport hub will be created, with bus stops conveniently located for the railway station. Removing the viaduct will also reduce noise and air pollution and will facilitate further improvements in Huntingdon town centre.

Main construction work is expected to start in 2019.

Chris Bayliss, A14 project manager at Highways England, said:

Work to upgrade the A14 between Cambridge and Huntingdon is progressing well and we are on schedule to open the new road to traffic by the end of 2020.

The Huntingdon viaduct was built in 1975, and removing it will create new opportunities for Huntingdon. Once the new A14 is open to traffic, the old A14 will become a local road. The plans we are sharing today will make it even easier for people to travel around, as well as in and out of, Huntingdon.

We are holding six public events this June and encourage people to come see us for a chat and find out more about these exciting plans!

To find out more about the work in Huntingdon people are invited to come along to one of the events – details can be found on the scheme webpage.

The £1.5bn A14 upgrade will add additional capacity, boost the local and national economy and cut up to 20 minutes off journeys.

The main construction work at Huntingdon will include a new Mill Common link road, the removal of the A14 viaduct and work around the train station, and a new Views Common link road. Preparatory work, such as archaeology and utility diversion, will start ahead of main construction work.

Chance to volunteer on the A14 community archaeology dig this summer

The A14 Cambridge to Huntingdon archaeology team is calling for volunteers to take part in a free summer community dig programme between 24 July and 25 August 2018.

This is a once in a lifetime chance for people to take part in one of the largest archaeological excavation projects ever undertaken in Britain.

Volunteers will work alongside archaeology experts from the A14 archaeology team and its contractors MOLA Headland Infrastructure, exploring evidence of industrial activity relating to the abandoned medieval village of Houghton, near Huntingdon, as well as Iron Age and Roman remains.

Each volunteer must be able to commit to five (not necessarily consecutive) days of excavation from 9am to 4pm.

To apply, email msearle@molaheadland.com before 25 June 2018, stating your preferred days.

For the latest information about the A14 Cambridge to Huntingdon improvement scheme, including job and training opportunities, visit the scheme webpage follow @A14C2H on Twitter and like our Facebook page.

General enquiries

Members of the public should contact the Highways England customer contact centre on 0300 123 5000.

Media enquiries

Journalists should contact the Highways England press office on 0844 693 1448 and use the menu to speak to the most appropriate press officer.

Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson said:

We welcome that President Trump and Kim Jong Un have held a constructive summit. This is an important step towards the stability of a region vital to global economic growth and home to thousands of British Nationals and important UK interests.

The reaffirmation of North Korea’s commitment in the Panmunjom Declaration to work towards complete denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula is a signal that Kim Jong Un may have finally heeded the message that only a change of course can bring a secure and prosperous future to the people of North Korea.

There is much work still to be done and we hope Kim continues to negotiate in good faith towards complete, verifiable and irreversible denuclearisation. The UK will continue to support the United States in its efforts to achieve denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula.

Further information

• Follow the Foreign Secretary on Twitter @BorisJohnson and Facebook
• Follow the Foreign Office on Twitter @foreignoffice and Facebook
• Follow the Foreign Office on Instagram, YouTube and LinkedIn

According to the latest independent statistics, released by the ONS on Monday, 11 June, UK exports rose 7.4% (£43.3 billion) to £625.4 billion to the end of April 2018 compared to the same time last year.

Exports continue to grow faster than imports for the tenth month continuously with the overall trade deficit narrowing by £6.7 billion from £37.5 billion to £30.8 billion.

The country’s renowned service sector continues to thrive with exports up 7.5% to £282.6 billion, increasing the service surplus to £108.7 billion.

Goods exports also rose strongly by 7.4% to £342.8 billion.

International Trade Secretary Dr Liam Fox MP said:

Far from the gloom some people report, today’s trade figures show in the year to April 2018 the trade deficit narrowed by £6.7 billion as overall exports rose by 7%.

If we look on a stable longer term basis, the growth was driven by both the UK’s renowned service sector which saw exports rising by 7.5% to £283 billion and UK goods exports which grew by 7.4%.

For the first time as a dedicated trade department, we’re able to provide comprehensive support to British exporters – helping make sure they meet the global demand for our top-of-the-range high quality goods and services.

The figures follow separate analysis released by HMRC (7 June) which found the number of VAT-registered businesses exporting goods in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland is at 109,000 – a rise of 4.1% from the previous year.

The figures also reveal:

• exports of goods from England increased by 6.5% to £244.6 billion
• in Scotland, goods exports increased by 12.1% to £28.8 billion
• in Wales, goods exports increased by 7.1% to £16.4 billion
• in Northern Ireland, goods exports increased by 4.9% to £8.5 billion

In the first months of 2018, the average value of goods exported per exporter was £750,000.

Businesses were also taking advantage of global interest as the number exporting to non-EU countries rose to over 47,000. The most popular non-EU destinations include the USA, that 19.2% of exporters sold goods to, Australia (7.3%) and Switzerland (7.2%).

Further information:

• View the latest ONS statistics
• View HMRC trade in goods data

On Sunday 10 June, the Minister for Women joined thousands of women and girls as they walked together through London as part of a mass participation artwork to mark the centenary year of women’s suffrage.

Processions took place in London, Belfast, Cardiff and Edinburgh, with participants wearing either green, white or violet – the colours of the suffrage movement – to give the appearance of a flowing river of colour through the cities’ streets.

Nearly £210,000 of UK Government funding went towards commissioning women artists to work with organisations and communities across England to create centenary banners for the London Procession as part of an extensive public programme of creative workshops.

Minister for Women Victoria Atkins said:

Yesterday’s processions have the potential to go down in history, just as the processions 100 years ago, and to serve as a legacy for us all to build on.

It is vital that we all play our part in celebrating our history, paying tribute to those who sacrificed so much to shape our country, and reigniting our determination to build on the great work of the great women who have gone before us.

The UK is providing emergency medical treatment to some of the world’s poorest people at risk from a deadly heatwave that has seen temperatures in Pakistan reach as high as 45°C, significantly hotter than the temperature in London today which is expected to reach 24°C.

UK aid is providing relief to up to 30,000 vulnerable people, including children and the elderly, in some of the poorest areas of Karachi, Pakistan, where up to 70 people have already died from heat-related symptoms since mid-May.

UK aid is supporting 30 heat stroke relief camps which are equipped with solar fans, cold drinking water and first aid kits. The camps are also providing spaces for people to keep cool, providing temporary shelters for those at high risk of death or falling critically ill from the extreme temperatures. Specialist medical staff are treating patients with symptoms such as heat exhaustion and heatstroke, which can damage the brain and cause organ failure.

Secretary of State for International Development Penny Mordaunt said:

Our thoughts are with the loved ones of those that have lost lives from these extraordinary temperatures.

UK aid is working hard to save the lives of the most vulnerable people in some of Pakistan’s poorest communities, including the elderly and new born babies born during this deadly heatwave.

With temperatures reaching as high as 45°C, our support is providing emergency medical assistance and helping to prevent people falling critically ill in the first place.

Pakistan is one of the UK’s top development priorities, with around 60 million people in Pakistan living in poverty meaning nearly 1 in 3 of the population are living on less than 80p a day. Camps have been set up in some of the region’s poorest areas, where many face challenges to their everyday lives including power outages and water shortages.

In 2015, where temperatures were similar to those in parts of Pakistan now, over 1,300 people died. Simple measures, such as providing clean water and keeping people cool, can be the difference between life and death.

The heatwaves come in the holy Muslim month of Ramadhan, increasing the risk of dehydration as Muslims fast during the hours of daylight.

UK aid is also supporting the ‘Beat the Heat’ campaign to educate up to 150,000 people about how to reduce the risks of falling critically ill to the high temperatures. The campaign will distribute brochures and posters with important advice in communities, and display banners at prominent locations including bus stops, schools, hospitals and main roads.

Notes to editors

The relief activities are a part of DFID’s Multi-Year Humanitarian Programme in Pakistan (MYHP). The programme supports responses to natural disasters and helps those displaced as a result of conflict.

The support is being provided through a local partner on the ground, the Health and Nutrition Development Society (HANDS). HANDS has established 30 relief camps in the most densely populated and poverty stricken areas in Lyari Town, Korangi Town, Surjani Town, Nazimabad, Gulshan e Iqbal, Gulstan e Jauher, and Saddar.

The exercise is part of a completely fresh look at how traffic can be managed better when there is disruption to services across the English Channel, and builds on significant improvements already made by Highways England and its partners in Kent since the unprecedented deployment of Operation Stack in summer 2015.

The exercise starting today is inviting feedback on the development of a lorry holding area. The solution could be an on-or off holding area for lorries, at one site or a number of sites. No specific sites have been identified at this stage. Views are also welcomed on the possible provision of 24-hour lorry parking facilities for everyday use by lorry drivers, which could help with lorry parking problems in Kent.

Highways England project director John Kerner said:

The disruption that people in Kent experienced in the summer of 2015 underlined the need for improvements to how traffic is managed when services across the English Channel are interrupted. Around 11,500 lorries use the Kent corridor to access cross-Channel travel services every day. In 2016, the port of Dover and Eurotunnel handled a record number of lorries and this is expected to double over the next decade.

We now have an opportunity to take a completely fresh look at what a permanent solution to Operation Stack could be, and understanding people’s views will be vital in making sure we can identify the most appropriate outcome. I encourage anyone with an interest to get involved.

When disruption occurs, as a result of severe weather, industrial action or operational problems, lorries often queue on the roads leading to the port, leading to congestion of the strategic and local road network.

When extraordinary levels of disruption occur, Operation Stack is activated to queue lorries on the M20 until they can catch their ferry or train. In summer 2015, Operation Stack was in place for over 30 days. As a result, the Government asked Highways England to investigate options for management and handling of lorries caught up heading to Dover.

Without action, existing and likely future issues will continue to put pressure on the roads and motorways in Kent. With traffic levels due to increase, this would likely mean Operation Stack being activated more frequently.

The exercise starts today and runs until 22 July 2018.

Drop in sessions are being held across Kent, and information will be available at 30 locations countywide. For more information on the dates and venues, and to sign up to receive updates about the scheme, visit the project page on the Highways England website.

General enquiries

Members of the public should contact the Highways England customer contact centre on 0300 123 5000.

Media enquiries

Journalists should contact the Highways England press office on 0844 693 1448 and use the menu to speak to the most appropriate press officer.