Motorway roadworks speed limit could be increased to 60mph

Speed limits through roadworks in England could be raised to ease congestion and negate the impact of repairs.

The current speed limit through roadworks is 50mph, but tests carried out by Highways England found that drivers' heart rates were lower when they drove through repairs at slightly higher speeds.

Since September 2016, Highways England has trialled different speed limits and is now considering rolling out a 55mph or 60mph limit where it is safe to do so.

The government-owned company's chief executive, Jim O'Sullivan, said the 60mph limit was "something that we want to introduce to as many roadworks as possible".

But he told The Times that lower speeds are likely to be maintained in areas with narrow lanes, contraflows or where workers are close to the road.

Mr O'Sullivan said the "volume of roadworks that the network and our users can cope with is probably reaching its peak".

He added: "If we're going to have this volume of roadworks, we need to have some serious thought about how we improve the customer experience."

In two separate trials, more than 70 motorists were provided with dashboard cameras, watches with heart rate monitors and GPS trackers to monitor their reactions.

In a 60mph trial zone, 60% of participants recorded a decrease in their average heart rate.

Meanwhile, 56% showed a decrease on the 55mph trial.

Further trials are set to take place later this year and, depending on the results, higher limits could be introduced more widely in 2018.