National Highways has apologised after motorists were left stranded for up to seven hours on Saturday (5 July) after a combination of planned roadworks, faulty traffic signals and confusing diversion signage brought the Black Cat roundabout and surrounding roads to a standstill.

The A1 northbound between the Black Cat and Wyboston was closed on Friday 4 July until 5am today to allow Anglian Water to connect new water mains and install a temporary safety barrier, says the Bedford Independent.

National Highways had also planned additional works to prepare for the construction of a new flyover bridge and lowering of the A1 as part of the £1bn upgrade project, which is due to begin on Tuesday 8 July.

However, as traffic increased through Saturday morning, drivers quickly found themselves at a near standstill on the A421 eastbound and A1 approaches, with little to no information about what was happening or how long the delays would last.

Bedfordshire Police said they were aware of the gridlock (see Facebook post below) and had been liaising with National Highways throughout the day. Officers eventually intervened later in the evening to help manage the backlog.

National Highways issued an apology in a Facebook post at 10pm, saying: “We understand the frustration and inconvenience this caused to those affected, and we are reviewing the circumstances to help ensure this situation is not repeated.”

They confirmed in the same post, almost 12 hours after problems began, that they were also in the process of “closing the eastbound entry slips at both Cardington and Renhold Interchanges to help reduce the volume of traffic joining the A421”.

(Pic: National Highways)