As a regular user of the A47 in my constituency, I have seen first-hand the great hazard that the Necton/Dunham Junction poses to road users. I often hear, anecdotally, too of the many ‘near-misses’ my constituents have had at this particularly dangerous stretch of road.

That’s why, alongside my ongoing efforts to support communities in the Necton area on the Vattenfall issue, I have been working with Necton Parish Council and the local district and county councillors to highlight the need to address the dangerous A47 Necton/Dunham Junction.

Back in September 2017, I brought senior officials from Highways England to Necton to see the junction in person, prompting them to acknowledge the need to seriously look at the possibility of improvements. A study was commissioned to assess which option would be best to tackle the major safety issues being presented, including whether or not the local community’s preferred option of a roundabout would be the correct way forward.

Unfortunately, this study has still not been finished – despite initial deadlines being set for mid-summer and, later, for the end of October.

Having learned that the study is now not expected to be completed until the New Year, I have written to Highways England to formally register my frustration – and to make it clear that there needs to be a clear timeline established as to when the final parts of the study will be completed.

When a local community has to carry a major piece of National Infrastructure, I believe that it must clearly see a benefit in return. If Vattenfall’s applications for two new substations in the village are eventually successful, I would like to see the improvement of the Necton/Dunham junction included as part of the package of community benefits that they should have to provide the local communities in return.

It is, therefore, imperative that we know from Highways England what the preferred option would be.

Either way, safety at this junction needs to be improved – and I am committed to working with the community to ensure that a suitable solution is implemented.