Ahead of the publication today of the Transport Select Committee report on Transport Agencies, including the Highways Agency, the Liberal Democrats have revealed research which shows that:

·        There has been a 42% increase in road schemes, due to cost overruns - from £3.5bn to £5bn - an overall increase of almost £1.5billion pounds;

·        Costs of Highways Agency schemes - the Targeted Programme of Improvements (TPI) - have risen by £1bn;

After a request from the Liberal Democrats, the National Audit Office (NAO) are currently also undertaking an investigation into the problem and will be reporting their findings this coming Autumn.

Commenting, Liberal Democrat Transport Spokesperson, Paul Rowen MP, said:

"The Select Committee's report is likely to be damning of the Department of Transport's road agencies. In particular, as our research shows, the Highways Agency is inflicting highway robbery upon the British taxpayer of which Dick Turpin would be proud. The costs of national road schemes have risen by more than a billion pounds.

"I am delighted that Sir John Bourn is undertaking, at the Liberal Democrats' request, a National Audit Office investigation into these massive rises in spending on road schemes. Taxpayers deserve to know whether their money is being used properly.

"Instead of trying to build their way out of congestion, the Government should redirect some of this money into better public transport networks, to encourage people out of their cars."