Cambridgeshire home to Britain's bumpiest road which causes 'near whiplash' claims motorist

A motorist has claimed a rural road in Cambridgeshire is one of the bumpiest in Britain as it causes motorists '˜near whiplash'.
Britain's bumpiest road? The A1123 in Cambridgeshire which connects Haddenham to Earith. Photo: SWNSBritain's bumpiest road? The A1123 in Cambridgeshire which connects Haddenham to Earith. Photo: SWNS
Britain's bumpiest road? The A1123 in Cambridgeshire which connects Haddenham to Earith. Photo: SWNS

David Pilsworth believes in just one session his car hit at least 30 bumps, cracks and dips on the road which is about three miles long.

The warehouse worker David, 24, believes the rural A1123 road in Cambridgeshire which connects Haddenham to Earith is "definitely one of the worst roads" he has ever driven on - even after the road was closed for five weeks for improvements.

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He says he is concerned the uneven surface could cause a serious accident to drivers.

Britain's bumpiest road? The A1123 in Cambridgeshire which connects Haddenham to Earith. Photo: SWNSBritain's bumpiest road? The A1123 in Cambridgeshire which connects Haddenham to Earith. Photo: SWNS
Britain's bumpiest road? The A1123 in Cambridgeshire which connects Haddenham to Earith. Photo: SWNS

David, who drives on the road everyday for work, adds: "This is in the top ten of bumpiest roads in Britain - and I have travelled on a lot of roads.

"There are cracks on the road, on the side of the road and bumps through the road.

"If you go 50 mph and you go over one of these bumps your neck will tense and bounce back giving you whiplash.

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"There is a large dip that jars your neck and it is not far from whiplash at times.

Britain's bumpiest road? The A1123 in Cambridgeshire which connects Haddenham to Earith. Photo: SWNSBritain's bumpiest road? The A1123 in Cambridgeshire which connects Haddenham to Earith. Photo: SWNS
Britain's bumpiest road? The A1123 in Cambridgeshire which connects Haddenham to Earith. Photo: SWNS

"If an ambulance was driving over it and it had a patient on a bed, the bed would go flying forward.

"If you hit a bump you feel it and it's difficult to hold on to the car.

"Because I travel on it so much I know where all the bumps are and have learnt to avoid them, but for someone who doesn't know the road and tries to avoid the bumps when there is oncoming traffic it can be extremely dangerous - there is a chance of an accident."

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David said the busy road is littered with "dangerous" cracks in the road and he often watches vehicles swerve to avoid them.

Britain's bumpiest road? The A1123 in Cambridgeshire which connects Haddenham to Earith. Photo: SWNSBritain's bumpiest road? The A1123 in Cambridgeshire which connects Haddenham to Earith. Photo: SWNS
Britain's bumpiest road? The A1123 in Cambridgeshire which connects Haddenham to Earith. Photo: SWNS

The road was previously closed for five-week improvements to the route and it reopened last Wednesday (Oct 17).

Cambridgeshire County Council claim they spent £280,000 improving the road surface.

But David said the improvements have "barely" been made to the road and if more isn't done there could be a serious road traffic collision.

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David, from Willingham, Cambs., adds: "The road has been in a sorry state for years and closed for five weeks for major works.

"If I had to rate the work I'd give it one out of 10 for quality.

"I would like to see the cracks flattened smooth so you aren't going round the corner at an angle."

However, a spokeswoman for the county council said work to make repairs on A1123 Hill Row Causeway has been completed.

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She added: "The scheme involved major road reconstruction between Haddenham and Earith making repairs down to the foundation layers.

"General maintenance including vegetation, drainage, signage and road markings were also carried out at the same time.

"Because of the extensive nature of the repairs, the work was carried out under full road closure.

"The scheme is part of a £5m package of work to repair sections of road affected by extreme weather conditions across Fen soils.

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"Unfortunately, we do not have the budget to repair the whole stretch of road, so we have to concentrate on the worst sections.

"We want to provide a long-term approach to the maintenance of these roads, reducing the need for repeated costly reactive repairs and extra disruption for drivers.

"We will continue to monitor and test our roads to ensure any future maintenance work is prioritised and will be assessed when setting future budgets."