SCRAPPING an historic deal for a port to pay for road upgrades is the only way to get Government cash to dual the A120, a council leader has claimed.

Tendring Council leader Neil Stock said he wants to see the A120 dualled from Harwich to Stansted.

But he believes it won't happen while there is an agreement in place for Hutchison Ports to pay for repairs as part of plans to build a container port at Bathside Bay.

Mr Stock said: "The A120 has to be built as a whole.

"The view I take on it is it's one of the country's strategic and highly significant highways.

"It links the international port at Harwich to the international airport at Stansted.

"I've been very supportive of the A120 being improved from Braintree to the A12.

"Upgrading that road will have a massive impact on Tendring - but we need to get the whole road upgraded.

"I would personally like to see it dualled completely all the way."

Mr Stock, who lives in Little Bromley, added: "Bathside Bay getting built would mean the A120 would absolutely, massively need to be upgraded.

"Getting Hutchison Port to pay for that is frankly insane.

"That single thing has killed Bathside Bay - I fear it may mean it never will and that job creation and employment will be lost forever.

"When Bernard speaks to the Treasury they will look through the paperwork and see Hutchison Ports will be paying for it.

"That's a major issue we need to take on, and I've been working with MP Sir Bernard Jenkin on that."

But Mr Stock said the deal between the Government and Hutchison Ports was for upgrades to the road not specifically to dual it.

He said: "There is upgrading and there is dualling and those two things aren't the same.

"Upgrading it can be making access roads to modern standards, widening the road or resurfacing it.

"We could upgrade the A120 but it wouldn't be good enough."

He also highlighted there may be a need to change the route of the road, like what is currently being decided on for a dualled stretch of A120 between Stansted and Braintree.

Mr Stock added: "The route from Stansted to Braintree is a completely different route from the old one.

"A new Hare Green to Harwich would almost certainly be a different route to the north or south of the road now."

The Harwich Standard is calling on the Government to fund the dualling of the A120 from Hare Green to Harwich. Sign our petition online at petition.parliament.uk/petitions/221123