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Business leaders have called on the government to fund an upgrade for the A14 linking Felixstowe port to the M6.

Cambridgeshire Chambers of Commerce has started a calling for improvements to the road which is often heavily congested.

Chief executive John Bridges said: "We need to urge the government to find funds to improve this vital link."

A £1.4bn plan to upgrade the road was shelved as part of the government's Spending Review in 2010.

The official government e-petition describes the A14 as "one of the country's most unacceptably congested roads".

It urges the Department for Transport to "secure funding for an essential upgrade to the A14, for the good of the county and the UK economy".

Mr Bridges said: "Without some form of investment we will not be able to overcome this unacceptable situation."

If the petition is signed by a minimum of 100,000 people it will qualify for debate in the House of Commons.

Earlier this month, business leaders from the CBI also highlighted the importance of upgrading the A14. They have suggested adding a toll lane to the most congested parts of the road.