Shocking footage has emerged of a car turning the wrong way up the A1 in Northumberland at one of the county’s most notorious junctions.
The recording shows a black car travelling south in the northbound lane at Swarland.
Police cars stop a car after it turned onto the wrong side of the dual carriageway on the A1 in Northumberland. Photo: Claire Barber PR. Free to reuse for all LDR partners
The incident happened at the Guyzance turn-off, where a large motorhome was forced to make a U-turn last month after making the same mistake.
A still from dashcam footage showing a motorhome carrying out a u-turn on the A1 after driving down it the wrong way.
A nearby police car stopped the vehicle before it could get beyond the junction.
No one is believed to have been injured, but police inquiries are continuing and officers are aware of the footage.
Claire Barber, owner of Claire Barber PR, lives in Alnwick and regularly travels to Newcastle for work.
She said the incidents had put her off using the A1.
She said: “I was at the Swarland turn off in the fast lane two days before this incident when somebody pulled halfway across the carriageway and couldn’t get fully over, so I had to pull out in front of a lorry in the other lane.
“It’s got to the point now where I would rather take a different route to get to Newcastle. Every time I go there’s an incident of some form or another – every time.
“One of the worst junctions is the one at West Chevington – you have to sit in the middle of the road. I was sat there and had vehicles thundering passed – I was frightened.
Police cars stop a car after it turned onto the wrong side of the dual carriageway on the A1 in Northumberland. Photo: Claire Barber PR. Free to reuse for all LDR partners
“It has got to the point where I hear about an accident and I worry it is going to be friends or my family. If every junction was the same, people wouldn’t get confused.”
Six people have been killed in serious collisions on Northumberland’s A1 this year. In January, a man and woman in their 60s died after a three-vehicle collision near Buckton, while two other drivers were taken to hospital.
The deaths have reignited calls for the A1 to be a dual carriageway throughout the county.
Critics say repeated switches between single and dual carriageway confuse drivers, particularly visitors unfamiliar with the roads.
The Government has promised to improve junctions along the route.
Last week, officials confirmed improvements at Guyzance junction, focused on the southbound carriageway.
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The junction has seen 19 casualties since 2005.
A 100-metre southbound deceleration lane will remove turning traffic from the running lane and allow drivers to turn left safely.
National Highways said the central reservation, road markings and signage would also be improved, with work due to start next year.