North-East MP Stephen Hepburn has told the Government to "throw in the bin" an official study which rejected turning the A1 into dual-carriageway between Newcastle and Edinburgh.

Transport Minister John Spellar told the Commons he was still looking at the recommendations of the A1 study, and would "take all views into account".

The minister pointed out that there were various road improvements already in the system, including upgrading the A1 south of Newcastle, which would improve links to the North-East.

But Mr Hepburn, MP for Jarrow said: ''I will buy you a pint in the bar if you can give me a comparable example where two major cities, the size of Edinburgh and Newcastle are not linked by dual carriageway.

"We all know about multi-modal rubbish, but can I remind you that people who use roads like the A1 are not computers.

"So can I ask you to review this position again with a view to throwing this study in the bin, and getting a proper road between Edinburgh and Newcastle, instead of linking them by what is in some parts no more than a glorified country lane."

Berwick-on-Tweed Liberal Democrat MP Alan Beith said not dualling the A1 left "a serious gap in the road system", and and a road on which "head-on collisions regularly take place".

He said there was considerable scepticism that promised improvements to roads and railways would ever take place or be sufficient.

Mr Spellar replied that many local authorities that had complained were involved themselves in the study. "I say to you again, we have a number of road schemes which have already been developed, other multi-modal studies will be coming in, including the dualling of the A66. These are major schemes, and the proposals you are making do have to be evaluated.