Where is A66? Why police crash road is considered accident hot spot

Local politicians have long called for the A66 to be made safer, and have it dualled from Scotch Corner to Carlisle.

Local politicians have long called for the road to be made safer, and have it dualled from Scotch Corner to Carlisle. Repeated Government projects have been delayed.

What happened on the A66?

Officers from Cleveland Police spotted a suspicious vehicle and a pursuit began before the car travelled onto the A66 and collided with a police car at 3.39am, The Independent Office for Police Conduct said.

North East Ambulance Service (NEAS) said it had been called to a two-vehicle crash and sent 14 units to the scene including ambulance crews, a specialist paramedic, a hazardous area response team and a doctor from Great North Air Ambulance Service.

A spokesperson for NEAS said: “Sadly, despite the best efforts of everyone attending, a number of patients died at the scene. We send condolences to all of those affected by such a tragic event and thank everyone for all they did to help.”

Why is the A66 seen as an accident hot spot?

It is a well-used route, but has several single carriageway sections that can lead to dangerous overtaking. The section beyond Middlesbrough is already dualled.

Richmond and Northallerton MP Rishi Sunak has been one of the ardent campaigners for dualling, recently saying: “The A66’s safety record is poor – 12 people died using it in 2023 and the route has 50 per cent more casualties than the average for a road of this type.”

Work on the upgrade was due to start last year after being approved by the previous government led by Mr Sunak, but this was halted by Labour as part of a review of major infrastructure projects.

When will the A66 be dualled in its entirity?

In 2025, Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander announced that the whole of the road would be dualled. “We’re forging ahead with the vital new transport infrastructure Britain needs, and improving what we’ve already got, to deliver a new era of renewal and opportunity,” she said.

The Government said the works will cut around 12 minutes off journey times. However, more recently the Department for Transport announced this work will be done in stages, from east to west.

That means that the detailed design work on North Yorkshire’s section will nto start for two years. Writing in The Yorkshire Post, North Yorkshire leader Coun Carl Les said: “The road needs grade-separated junctions (fly-overs) to remove the risk of frequent and lethal collisions.

“They are needed urgently, and to back them off for at least another two years is a disgrace, and another manifestation that a Westminster based administration remains focused on London and the Home Counties.”