When I was first elected in 2010, Norfolk was the only UK county not connected to the motorway and dual carriageway network. Not only had this held back businesses and families for too long, it had also proved dangerous for thousands of commuters travelling down unsafe single-carriage roads. 

That’s why I vowed to get this sorted and was delighted to work alongside my fellow parliamentary colleagues, local councillors, businesses and community groups to secure the dualling of the A11 – a key first step. 

While the current A11 improvement works close to Wymondham are to be welcomed, I am acutely aware that many local communities are suffering from a spike of “rat-running” by motorists aiming to quickly move around Wymondham to continue their journey, or who instead wish to cut through the Wymondham-Kimberley/Carleton Forehoe-Barnham Broom-Honingham corridor to join the A47. 

I raised this issue with National Highways and Norfolk County Council Highways back in the autumn – and welcomed their acknowledgement of the problems being faced, as well as their commitment to go away and work together to explore what more they could do to mitigate rat-running during these improvement works and improve signage. However, from conversations with local councillors and constituents, I am aware that the issues have arisen once again since the Christmas period.

This week, I have been in touch with both National Highways and Norfolk County Council Highways again – and I am now awaiting a further update as to what they plan to do.

Rest assured, I will continue to do all I can to speak up for our Mid Norfolk communities.

To learn more about my work on this issue, as well as on rat-running more generally (including my work with the South of the A47 Taskforce I set up), please visit my website here.