The A19 has been named the best A-road in the country by a transport watchdog.

The road received an 85 per cent satisfaction rating from drivers.

It runs from Newcastle, pas East Durham and next to Middlesbrough on its way south towards Doncaster.

This makes it the most popular A-road in England according to a survey of more than 9,166 road users conducted by Transport Focus.

However, the survey showed a decline in overall satisfaction from 73 per cent in 2022/23 to 71 per cent in 2023/24.

Transport Focus chief executive, Alex Robertson, said: "Drivers tell us that the maintenance of motorways and major roads – how most of us get around the country – is more important to them than building new roads."

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On the opposite end of the scale, the A12, which runs between London and Lowestoft, Suffolk, was rated the worst A-road, with a satisfaction score of 55 per cent.

The survey also ranked the M42 as England's worst motorway, with a satisfaction score of 56 per cent.

The 40-mile-long motorway, which connects Birmingham with Nottingham, Solihull, Tamworth, and Redditch, was criticised for having reduced speed limits "for no apparent reason" and a combination of "roadworks, potholes, and delays."

One respondent described the M42 as a "terrible road to drive on," while another complained about the variable speed limits that "do not always reflect the traffic conditions."

At the top of the motorway list was the M40, which runs between London and Birmingham, with a satisfaction score of 79 per cent.

A respondent described it as "one of the few motorways that has few delays when I travel on it."