To help those miles flow as smoothly as possible, teams from Highways England are working around the clock to remove more than 300 miles of roadworks – meaning more than 97 per cent of motorways and major A roads will be roadworks-free for the last weekend of the month.

Highways England’s customer service director, Melanie Clarke, said:

We’re doing everything we can to make journeys as smooth as possible for this August getaway and that’s why we’re keeping more than 97 per cent of the road network we manage, free from roadworks.

We’d remind people about the importance of checking their vehicle before setting off and simple things like checking fuel and oil levels, tyre pressure and that all the lights work properly, can keep you moving and the network flowing.

Where it is safe to do so, roadworks will be lifted or suspended on England’s motorways and major A-roads from 6am Friday 24 August until 12.01am on Tuesday 28 August.

Highways England traffic officers will be working around the clock, patrolling the network to help those people who do get into difficulty.

And to help ensure road users get to their destinations safely, Highways England is once again calling on motorists to check their vehicles before setting off.

Research shows almost half of all breakdowns are caused by simple mechanical problems which could be avoided with simple checks and nearly a quarter are caused by tyre problems.

Before they set off, Highways England is urging motorists to:

• check fuel: make sure you have enough to get to your destination
• check tyres: check your tyre pressure and the condition of your tyres, including the spare. Look out for cuts or wear and make sure the tyres have a minimum tread depth of 1.6mm, which is the legal limit
• check engine oil: use your dipstick to check oil before any long journey, and top up if needed – take your car back to the garage if you’re topping up more than usual
• check water: to ensure you have good visibility, always keep your screen wash topped up so you can clear debris or dirt off your windscreen
• check your lights: if your indicators, hazard lights, headlights, fog lights, reverse lights or brake lights are not functioning properly, you are putting yourself at risk. In addition, light malfunctions can be a reason for your vehicle to fail its MOT

It is also advising anyone towing a caravan, boat, horse box or trailer to take some simple steps to ensure a trouble-free journey, including:

• carry out a final maintenance check before setting off, and leave plenty of time for your journey
• be aware that driving while towing will inevitably affect the vehicle’s performance, especially braking distances
• check that the vehicle and load are secure and the weight is correctly distributed in accordance with the manufacturers’ specifications
• make sure you are adequately covered for recovery and breakdown
• know the correct speed limit for your vehicle and the roads you travel on, and don’t drive faster than the speed limit for the type of road
• towing mirrors not only allow you to view to the rear, in most cases they are a legal requirement when towing a wider trailer
• driving licences place restrictions on the trailers that you can tow, you may need to take a further test to progress to towing larger trailers
• if your caravan or trailer starts to snake or swerve, it’s a sign you’re going too fast or the trailer is loaded incorrectly. Ease off the accelerator and reduce your speed gently
• don’t brake harshly on a bend, as it makes the trailer unstable. Reduce your speed in plenty of time for any hazard
• you shouldn’t drive in the right hand lane of a motorway with three or more lanes

Highways England also has a series of specialist videos online to help people carry out basic vehicle checks before they set off on their travels. The videos can be viewed on the Think! website.

Highways England is also urging drivers to stay safe this August by adhering to motorway signage.

If you are driving through roadworks on a smart motorway, look out for one of the most important signals – the Red X. When displayed it will identity when a lane is closed and indicates that drivers should move into an open lane to continue their journeys. Driving in a closed lane is unsafe, as there could be debris in the road or an accident or breakdown up ahead. Keeping the lane clear gives the emergency services the access they need to help. Visit the website for further advice on how to drive on a smart motorway.

Drivers planning to use the Dartford Crossing are reminded to pay Dart Charge in advance or by midnight the day after crossing.

Real-time traffic information for England’s motorways and major A roads is available via the Traffic England website, local and national radio travel bulletins, electronic road signs and mobile apps. Local Twitter services are also available. More information can be found by calling the Highways England Customer Contact Centre (0300 123 5000).

For more detailed information on how to carry out your vehicle checks, visit the Think! 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.

The Environment Agency’s Adur tidal walls scheme in Shoreham-by-Sea is making great strides as it nears the final stages of construction with completion expected by the end of the year.

A major component to making good progress has been the use of the Giken press piling train to drive in the steel piles. This is a Giken silent piling unit, power pack, and crane mounted onto the piles (a ‘reaction stand’), using the installed piles as tracks – like a train. The Giken piler drives piles silently by pressing them into the ground. This is located at the front of the ‘train’ pressing piles in at the front. The whole train walks along, following the Giken silent piler to install piles in a linear fashion.

This equipment has proved to be key to working in the tight spaces between the Shoreham houseboats and the houses landside of the path, driving in the steel piles to form the wall’s core support.

The planning process needed to be carefully managed to ensure that stakeholder agreements were completed on time because of the specialist Giken press piling train required to install the sheet piles. This needed to be booked 6 months in advance as there are only a few in the world. Scheme contract partners Team Van Oord developed a stakeholder engagement programme to set out the process to obtain the agreements and the roles of project team organisations at each stage.

Following completion of sheet piling in the W5 reach*, the Giken train will be decommissioned on Thursday 2 August. The W5 reach is scheduled for reopening this autumn.

*The 7.2 kilometre long defence is split into 10 sections labelled as E for east or W for west of the river, ie E1, E2, E3, W1, W2, W3, W4, W5, W6, W7.

An Environment Agency spokesperson said:

We would like to thank everyone in Shoreham-by-Sea for their continued patience and support. More than two-thirds of the Shoreham Adur tidal walls flood defence scheme has now been completed. Having started construction in October 2016 we expect to finish by the end of this year.

A Team Van Oord spokesperson said:

In the W5 reach we have had to install some 1,176 sheet piles – each one 11 metres long. The work was complicated by being close to 40 houseboats along a stretch of 700m. However, we made sure to consult with stakeholders and houseboat owners keeping them informed on developments.

Thanks to their cooperation, we were able to continue the pile driving works in this reach without closing a larger area to the public.

Further information about the scheme is available on GOV.UK.

In addition, there is a dedicated visitor centre for the project, located in the Beach Green car park in Shoreham, and open from midday to 5pm Monday to Friday.

Contact details: email shorehamwestbank@environment-agency.gov.uk or write to:

For general information on how to prepare for flooding and the latest flood warnings in force please visit our floodline page or ring Floodline on 0345 9881188.

Notes to editors

The Shoreham Adur tidal walls scheme, made up of raised walls and embankments along the River Adur, is being constructed by the Environment Agency. Once complete, it will reduce the tidal flood risk to thousands of homes and commercial properties in the area, as well as protecting important local infrastructure such as roads, railway lines and Shoreham Airport. It is part of the Environment Agency’s 6-year plan to reduce the risk of flooding to at least 300,000 homes by 2020/21.

Adur tidal walls scheme in numbers

• 7.2km of defences
• 2,527 properties protected
• 2.5km of steel sheet piling
• 3km of flood embankment
• 1km of concrete walls
• ½km of flood glass
• ½km of rock revetment
• 2,316 lizards and slow worms relocated
• 14,000m2 saltmarsh habitat to be created

Other key points of the scheme

The scheme will reduce the risk of flooding to over 2,300 homes and 169 commercial properties. Consultation events in 2014 and 2015 provided public feedback on the designs now incorporated into the detailed designs.

The scheme boundary includes the nationally designated Adur Estuary Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and a RSPB reserve. These areas have over-wintering bird populations and significant areas of saltmarsh and mudflat. Saltmarsh and mudflat are priority habitats that have been identified as requiring conservation action under the Natural Environment and Rural Communities Act (2006).

The Environment Agency is aiming to minimise loss of saltmarsh habitat by moving the embankment next to the airport further back from its current position to create new saltmarsh habitat.

Today, Tuesday 14 August, The Planning Inspectorate has announced that the application for the upgrade and reopening Manston Airport has been accepted by the Secretary of State for Housing Communities and Local Government for examination.

The application for the proposed project was submitted on 17 July 2018 and the decision has been made within of the 28 day statutory deadline.

The application is for the upgrade and reopening of Manston Airport primarily as a cargo airport, with some passenger services, with a capacity of at least 12,000 air cargo movements per year.

In accordance with the Planning Act 2008 (as amended by the Localism Act 2011) , when considering whether or not to accept an application for examination, the Secretary of State has regard to the application documents submitted, any adequacy of consultation representations received from local authorities, and the extent to which the developer has had regard to any guidance issued. Other matters relating to the application will be considered by the Examining Authority during the examination and interested parties will have an opportunity take part in that process and give their views if they wish.

It is now for the applicant, RiverOak Strategic Partners Ltd, to publicise the fact that its application has been accepted for examination and invite people who are interested in the proposal to register with the Planning Inspectorate as an interested party by making a relevant representation.

Once the period for registering as an interested party has opened, people will easily be able to register online with the Planning Inspectorate by visiting the project’s page and completing the online ‘Registration and Relevant Representation form’. Alternatively, those without internet access may call the Planning Inspectorate helpline: 0303 444 5000 for a printed registration form.

Sarah Richards, Chief Executive, Planning Inspectorate said. “After careful consideration we have decided on behalf of the Secretary of State that the application submitted by RiverOak Strategic Partners Ltd met the required tests set out in the legislation to be accepted for examination”.

“The decision has been made within the statutory deadline. It demonstrates our ability to deliver a predictable, fair and efficient examination process that provides certainty for everyone involved.”

“The applicant must now decide and publicise when members of the public can play a part in the examination process by registering with the Planning Inspectorate as an interested party to give their views.”

Interested parties in an application can:

• Say what they agree or disagree with in the application and why;
• Comment on what other people have said in their representations;
• Attend a Preliminary Meeting and say how they think the application should be examined;
• Request that an open floor hearing is held; and
• Attend and request to speak at open floor or issue-specific hearings should one be held.

The Planning Inspectorate’s Advice Note 8.3, ‘How to register and become an interested party in an application’ is available on the Inspectorate’s website or a copy can be requested by calling 0303 444 5000.

Ends

Journalists wanting further information should contact the Planning Inspectorate Press Office, on: 0303 444 5004 or 0303 444 5005 or email: pressoffice@pins.gsi.gov.uk.

Notes to editors:

• The acceptance to proceed to examination decision and a copy of the application can be viewed at the Manston Airport project page on the Planning Inspectorate’s website.
• The Planning Inspectorate, National Infrastructure Programme of Projects details the proposals which are anticipated to be submitted to the Planning Inspectorate as applications in the coming months. Copies of the application documents can be viewed online on the project page.

The process in a snapshot

There are six key stages within the process. The summary below provides examples of when and how people have an opportunity to provide evidence to the Planning Inspectorate. Pre-application

Key activities:

• Project development / developer’s pre-application consultation and publicity.
• Environmental impact assessment preparation and scoping, where required.

Public involvement:

• Have their say on the proposal to the developer through their pre application consultation Acceptance by the Planning Inspectorate on behalf of the Secretary of State

Key activities:

• The Secretary of State has 28 days from the day after receipt to decide whether or not an application should be accepted for examination

Public involvement:

• Details will be posted at the Planning Inspectorate’s website on how to register as an interested party – once an application has been accepted for examination and publicised by the developer.
• Opportunity to legally challenge a decision not to accept an application.

Pre-examination

Key activities:

• Single Inspector or a Panel of three or more Inspectors appointed.
• Preliminary Meeting called and held.
• Procedure and timetable set for examination.

Public involvement:

• Register to say what you agree or disagree with in the application
• Submit your representation
• View application documents submitted by the developer on the Planning Inspectorate website
• Attend the Preliminary Meeting
• Say how the examination should be conducted.

Examination

Key activities:

• A maximum of six months to carry out the examination

Public involvement:

• Submit more detailed comments in writing
• Comment on what other people have said
• Request and attend an open-floor hearing
• If being held, request to speak at open-floor and / or issue specific hearing(s)
• Comment on the local authority’s Local Impact Report – detailing the impact of the scheme on the local area.

Decision

Key activities:

• A maximum of three months for Planning Inspectorate to issue a recommendation to the relevant Secretary of State, with a statement of reasons.

• The relevant Secretary of State then has a further three months from receiving the recommendation in which to issue the decision.

Post decision

Key activities:

• Six weeks for any legal challenge.

Public involvement:

Opportunity to challenge.