The Government’s roads minister said “everything’s always under consideration” including the Guildford MP’s calls to tunnel the A3 under the town.

Richard Holden said Angela Richardson was lobbying him about “all sorts of different things” including the tunnel, which she also raised during Prime Minister’s Questions in December.

Speaking at the site of works to improve Junction 10 of the A3 and the M25, a project due to finish in summer 2025, Mr Holden said all options needed to be looked at for the future.

He said Ms Richardson, Guildford’s Conservative MP since 2019, was “one of the most active MPs when it comes to campaigning for roads, and particularly those improvements around health and her constituents”.

Asked about plans to tunnel under Guildford, he said: “Everything’s always under consideration.

“But these are going to be big, long-term projects.

“Long term, we need to look at all options for the future.”

He said Ms Richardson was also lobbying him on other junctions in the area, and admitted there were improvements that “could be made” regarding congestion and pollution around the town.

Mr Holden said: “It’s all got to be looked at in the round, and it’s very early days for something of that scale.”

A petition started by Ms Richardson two years ago on a possible tunnel gained 300 signatures, while Guildford Borough Council has also looked at options such as a congestion charge to help with traffic and pollution in the town.

Ms Richardson said the A3 outside Guildford is the most polluted in the strategic road network, and has pointed to possible developments such as the 1,700 homes which could be built on the former Wisley Airfield as bringing more cars to Surrey’s roads.

Of the A3 works, Mr Holden said it was hoped the junction changes would reduce accidents on that part of the road by one third.

He added: “It’s not just improvements to the road network, it will also provide real improvement to the local community in terms of access and in terms of reducing accidents, which will also help reduce delays too.”