Freight experts have welcomed a £30bn "lifeline" investment in road and rail schemes.

The Freight Transport Association, based in Tunbridge Wells, said investment in infrastructure was key to the country's future prosperity and had been given a lifeline in the Comprehensive Spending Review.

The Chancellor announced improvement projects to the M62, M1, A46, M5, M4, A11 to Norwich, widening the M25 at 10 different junctions, and completing the A3 at Hindhead. He also confirmed that the Crossrail project that could eventually provide a direct link between Kent and Heathrow would also go ahead.

James Hookham, the FTA's managing director of policy and communications, said:"We are encouraged with Osborne's declaration of support for transport projects and it is good news that many of the trade routes that FTA identified to transport ministers as priority projects demanding further investment have been protected.

"While we have yet to learn the full details of other road and rail projects it looks like the message has got through: for future growth to happen infrastructure is not an optional extra but an absolute essential."

For more on the Spending Review, see our special report.