Road safety campaigners have warned the Government should not put capacity over safety after figures revealed lorry traffic on motorways has increased 15% in five years.

A survey of drivers by Brake found more than three-quarters said too much freight is being transported on motorways. More than a quarter of those surveyed also thought it was likely or highly likely they would be involved in a fatal or serious crash at some point in the future.

Joshua Harris, director of campaigns for Brake, said: 'Drivers are particularly wary over the increase in freight traffic and it’s clear that trials of truck platooning will only exacerbate this concern.

'We urge the Government to prioritise safety over capacity and to ensure that any change to our road environment, such as all-lane running, is robustly tested, and the public properly informed, before the roll-out on our roads.'

Figures published last week show lorry traffic on motorways reached a new peak of 7.9 billion vehicle miles in 2017.