Press release: Planned roadworks in East Midlands: weekly summary for Monday 6 February to Sunday 12 February 2017

The following summary of planned new and ongoing road improvements over the coming week is correct as of 03 February but could be subject to change due to weather conditions or unforeseen circumstances. All our improvement work is carried out with the aim of causing as little disruption as possible.

M1 junction 28 to 35a, Nottinghamshire/Derbyshire/Yorkshire: smart motorway

There will be various restrictions in place on the M1 between junctions 28 and 35a to allow for the construction of the smart motorway. These include lane closures, speed restrictions, hard shoulder running and overnight slip road or carriageway closures.

On Monday 6 February the southbound entry slip road at junction 29a; the northbound exit slip road at junction 33; the southbound up and over at junction 34; the southbound carriageway from junction 33 to 32; and junction 33 entry slip road will be closed overnight from 8pm until 6am.

On Tuesday 7 February the entry and exit slip road at Tibshelf motorway service area on the southbound carriageway; the northbound entry and exit slip road at junction 31; the northbound exit slip road at junction 33; the southbound up and over at junction 34; the southbound carriageway between junction 33 to 32 and the southbound entry slip road at junction 33 will be closed overnight from 8pm until 6am.

On Wednesday 8 February the entry and exit slip road at Tibshelf motorway service area on the southbound carriageway; the northbound carriageway between junction 32 and 33 and the M18 southbound to the M1 northbound link will be closed overnight from 8pm until 6am.

On Thursday 9 February the southbound entry slip road at junction 29a; the northbound carriageway between junction 32 to 33 and the M18 southbound to M1 northbound link road will all be closed overnight from 8pm until 6am.

On Friday 10 February the southbound exit slip road at junction 29a; the northbound carriageway on the M1 between junction 32 and 33 and the M18 southbound to the M1 northbound link road will all be closed overnight from 8pm until 6am.

On Saturday 11 February the M1 northbound up and over at junction 32 and junction 33 will be closed overnight from 8pm until 6am.

On Sunday 12 February the M1 northbound up and over at junction 32 and junction 33 will be closed overnight from 8pm until 6am.

M1 junction 19 to 16, Northamptonshire: smart motorway

From Monday 6 February until Friday 10 February there will be overnight lane closures on both the southbound and northbound carriageway.

Lanes one and two will be closed northbound from 6 February to 10 February between 9pm and 6am. On the southbound carriageway lanes one and two will be closed on 6 and 8 February between 9pm and 6am.

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.



Press release: A64 safety improvements due to start

A series of improvements are being carried out on the A64 this month, which will improve safety for drivers.

Contractors for Highways England will begin a number of projects which include renewing the safety barrier, improving signage and drainage and resurfacing a footpath.

Work will start next week, Monday 6 February, to stabilise a drainage ditch which runs alongside the eastbound exit slip road at Brambling Fields in Malton increasing flood resilience in the future. Work will take place between 7.30am and 6pm, and is expected to last for three weeks.

To carry out the work as quickly and safely as possible, the eastbound exit slip road will be fully closed 24 hours a day for the duration of the works and at times there will be a lane 1 closure on the eastbound A64 just past the slip road.

Highways England project manager Adeeb Saeed said:

This is essential maintenance which will strengthen the drainage ditch to protect it from eroding and ensure that it provides effective drainage in the future.

Work will also start next week to replace sections of the safety barrier between Grimston and Hopgrove.

This work will be carried out overnight between 8pm and 6am under lane closures to keep disruption to a minimum for drivers.

There will also be a temporary speed limit of 60mph for the safety reasons due to us working on the safety barrier.

The following week work is due to start to renew the safety barrier and improving the signage around Scampston Bridge.

And later this month work will start on resurfacing the footpath on the A64 Pickering westbound entry slip road. This will involve lane closures between 9.30am and 3.30pm.

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.



News story: Defence Minister visits a hub for Queen Elizabeth Class Carrier Programme

The Minister visited some of the aircraft and met with personnel stationed at the base. RNAS Culdrose is the heart of the naval air fleet, where naval aviators train. The base is an important part of the programme, which will deliver the two Queen Elizabeth Class (QEC) aircraft carriers, the largest warships ever built in the UK and from which the UK’s new F-35B Lightning II jets will fly.

After visiting the Merlin training facility, the Defence Minister saw the Dummy Flight Deck, designed to train QEC aircraft handlers among others, where she witnessed live training exercises. The skilled aircrew and engineers at the base specialise in anti-submarine warfare and Airborne Surveillance and Control.

Minister for Defence Procurement Harriett Baldwin, said:

It was an honour to visit one of Europe’s largest helicopter bases and meet the men and women behind its success. The state-of-the art facilities are helping to test and safeguard our maritime aircraft capacity.

The base provides 3,000 civilian and military jobs and is one of the biggest single-site employers in Cornwall, pumping £100m into the local economy every year, bringing welcome regional investment.

Many of the Merlins based at Culdrose will be fitted with the Crowsnest system, as announced recently in a £269 million deal. The system will act as the eyes and ears for the Royal Navy’s ships, providing long range air, maritime and land detection and tracking capability. Crowsnest is an important step in the ambitious carrier programme, which will be vital to protect the new vessels.

A weapon being loaded onto the Merlin Weapons Systems Trainer. Crown Copyright.
A weapon being loaded onto the Merlin Weapons Systems Trainer. Crown Copyright.

The Commanding Officer of RNAS Culdrose, Captain Danny Stembridge ADC said:

It was a privilege to welcome the Defence Minister to Culdrose this week, and to discuss the vital role its people continue to play in the defence of our nation. She visits at a very important time for us; whilst we continue to deliver our primary roles of protecting the Nuclear Deterrent and supporting Counter Terrorism, we are also getting ready to defend the Royal Navy’s Carrier Task Groups.

HMS Queen Elizabeth, the Nation’s new flagship, will sail into Portsmouth Harbour this year and Naval Air Power will be at the forefront of this nation’s deployed capabilities. It is essential that we at RNAS Culdrose are ready to play our important role in this exciting new venture. Indeed, aircraft from 820 Naval Air Squadron, will be the very first to land on the flight deck of the new carrier.

The Minister also visited A&P Group and World Fuels at Falmouth docks. A&P support and maintain the Royal Fleet Auxiliary’s four Bay Class ships, one of which is currently stationed in The Gulf. Last year the ships conducted operations in the Caribbean and Mediterranean.

Minister for Defence Procurement Harriett Baldwin said:

I am delighted to be in Falmouth, which has a vital ship repair capability, sustaining jobs and part of a UK-wide carrier effort.



News story: Defence Minister visits a hub for Queen Elizabeth Class Carrier Programme

The Minister visited some of the aircraft and met with personnel stationed at the base. RNAS Culdrose is the heart of the naval air fleet, where naval aviators train. The base is an important part of the programme, which will deliver the two Queen Elizabeth Class (QEC) aircraft carriers, the largest warships ever built in the UK and from which the UK’s new F-35B Lightning II jets will fly.

After visiting the Merlin training facility, the Defence Minister saw the Dummy Flight Deck, designed to train QEC aircraft handlers among others, where she witnessed live training exercises. The skilled aircrew and engineers at the base specialise in anti-submarine warfare and Airborne Surveillance and Control.

Minister for Defence Procurement Harriett Baldwin, said:

It was an honour to visit one of Europe’s largest helicopter bases and meet the men and women behind its success. The state-of-the art facilities are helping to test and safeguard our maritime aircraft capacity.

The base provides 3,000 civilian and military jobs and is one of the biggest single-site employers in Cornwall, pumping £100m into the local economy every year, bringing welcome regional investment.

Many of the Merlins based at Culdrose will be fitted with the Crowsnest system, as announced recently in a £269 million deal. The system will act as the eyes and ears for the Royal Navy’s ships, providing long range air, maritime and land detection and tracking capability. Crowsnest is an important step in the ambitious carrier programme, which will be vital to protect the new vessels.

A weapon being loaded onto the Merlin Weapons Systems Trainer. Crown Copyright.

The Commanding Officer of RNAS Culdrose, Captain Danny Stembridge ADC said:

It was a privilege to welcome the Defence Minister to Culdrose this week, and to discuss the vital role its people continue to play in the defence of our nation. She visits at a very important time for us; whilst we continue to deliver our primary roles of protecting the Nuclear Deterrent and supporting Counter Terrorism, we are also getting ready to defend the Royal Navy’s Carrier Task Groups.

HMS Queen Elizabeth, the Nation’s new flagship, will sail into Portsmouth Harbour this year and Naval Air Power will be at the forefront of this nation’s deployed capabilities. It is essential that we at RNAS Culdrose are ready to play our important role in this exciting new venture. Indeed, aircraft from 820 Naval Air Squadron, will be the very first to land on the flight deck of the new carrier.

The Minister also visited A&P Group and World Fuels at Falmouth docks. A&P support and maintain the Royal Fleet Auxiliary’s four Bay Class ships, one of which is currently stationed in The Gulf. Last year the ships conducted operations in the Caribbean and Mediterranean.

Minister for Defence Procurement Harriett Baldwin said:

I am delighted to be in Falmouth, which has a vital ship repair capability, sustaining jobs and part of a UK-wide carrier effort.



“I will miss Gordon’s smile, his laugh, and his energy”

3 February 2017

Gordon Aikman, who raised £500,000 for MND research and successfully campaigned for a doubling of the number of MND nurses in Scotland, has died. Gordon worked for the Labour Party in the Scottish Parliament and was the Director of Research at Better Together, making a massive contribution to Scotland. You can donate to MND Scotland here.

Below is a comment from Kezia Dugdale following the announcement of Gordon’s death:

“I am utterly bereft. Although we all knew time was precious, Gordon’s death comes as a shock.

“I have lost a best friend and the world has lost a man who made it a better place. I will keep Gordon’s husband Joe and all his family in my thoughts and prayers. The wedding of Gordon and Joe was one of the happiest days of my life. I will treasure those memories.

“I will miss Gordon’s smile, his laugh, his energy, his brilliant dance moves and terrible singing voice, and his positive outlook on life despite the hand he was dealt towards the end. I will miss his advice and I will miss campaigning with him to advance the causes dear to us. But most of all I will miss just spending time with my friend.

“All of us in the Labour Party will be forever grateful for his commitment to our movement, particularly during his time working in the Scottish Parliament and his pivotal role in the Better Together campaign. His death will be mourned by all those who had the pleasure to work alongside him.

“Although we grieve for Gordon, we must not allow our sadness to erase the many happy memories we have of his time with us. To respond to his MND diagnosis by raising more than £500,000 for research into this horrible disease so that others don’t have to suffer like he did should inspire us all.

“Gordon’s constant determination to do good for others was an antidote to a world so full of fear and anger. I hope that will be his legacy.”