The Government could increase the speed at which drivers pass through motorway roadworks at certain times.

Following trials, Highways England is going to test whether the 50 mph speed limit can be raised to 55 mph or even 60 mph when there is no activity taking place from contractors, such as Sundays.

Highways England is also exploring if different speed limits could operate within one set of roadworks. This could mean drivers are limited to 50 mph on one carriageway as they are nearer the workforce, but drive on the other carriageway at 60mph as the road workers are further away.

Jim O'Sullivan, Chief Executive of Highways England, said: "People understand roadworks are necessary but are also frustrated by them. At the same time we have to ensure as they drive through them that they, and our road workers, are safe.

"So we are always thinking of new ways to improve journeys at the same time as keeping everyone as safe as we can. That is why over the next 12 months we will test changes to the design and operation of roadworks.

"We are also working hard to give drivers more and better information about their journeys and to prepare our network for the future, for example the testing of roadside and vehicle technology, so we can continue to keep people, and the country, connected."

Locations for the trials are yet to be agreed. Once underway Highways England will monitor the speed of vehicles, flow of traffic, look at incident data and gather customer feedback to determine its success.