The Freight Transport Association (FTA) said drivers believe that the M60 north of Manchester and the M6 north of Birmingham are two of the three most highly congested roads in the UK that require the most investment.

The FTA said it examined stretches of the UK’s strategic road network that would most benefit from UK Government investment following the chancellor’s commitment in his Autumn Statement to fund improvements to congestion hot spots.

Chancellor Philip Hammond said last month the UK Government would spend £1.3 billion on improving England’s roads, including £220 million on tackling congestion and £27 million on an expressway connecting Oxford, Milton Keynes and Cambridge.

The FTA said road delays are a constant issue for FTA members who move goods throughout the UK.

It said it costs around £1 a minute to run a 44-tonne truck so any hold-ups have a huge financial impact on freight operators.

The FTA said it identified the M60 north of Manchester, the M25 to the west of London and the M6 north of Birmingham as three of the most highly congested roads and ran a Twitter poll asking drivers which they thought needed most attention.

The M6 narrowly came out on top with 39% of the vote, with the M25 on 37% and the M60 on 24%.

Malcolm Bingham, FTA’s Head of Road Network Management Policy, said: “Every motorist will have view on where the worst spots are on our strategic network and these figures for our poll show that there is a split opinion.

“It is therefore vital that we get the next programme of roads spending to address the concerns on congestion.”