Highways commercial services

This page provides information about commercial services offered by the council for road users, including MOT testing, sign manufacturing and advertising opportunities.

Northumberland County Council operates an ATF authorised testing facility and three VOSA-approved MOT testing facilities, which are open to the public.

Northumberland County Council now provides DVSA approved testing facilities for a full range of vehicles including PSV’S, trucks and trailers with no height restrictions from our new purpose-built centre in Alnwick. 
 
Located on the Lionheart Industrial estate, Alnwick just off the A1, the new workshop offers servicing and vehicle defect rectification as well as planned maintenance, meaning less down time for your vehicles.  
  
For all enquiries and bookings please contact 
ATF booking number 01670 620419 or Garry Allan on 01670 624392.  

Lionheart Workshop 
Hawthorn Close 
Lionheart Ind Est. 
Alnwick 
NE66 2ER 
 Phone: 01670 624392 
 
Tyne Mills Workshops 
Tyne Mills Industrial Estate 
Hexham 
NE46 1XL 
 Phone: 01670 623746 
 
Stakeford Workshops 
East View 
Choppington 
NE62 5TR 
 Phone: 01670 622937 
 
We also offer the service to the general public, including brake testing, emission tests and headlight alignment checks. 

  • Class 4 priced at £40 
  • Class 7 priced at £50 

Taxi operators: all new taxi applications must be tested at one of our MOT facilities. Please contact the workshops for bookings from 8am to 3pm, Monday to Friday. 

A comprehensive range of construction material testing covering Earthworks, Road Construction, Concrete and Bridge inspections

Two men putting a sample of gravel into a lab bag to send away for testing

 

 

Our laboratory provides a comprehensive material-testing service for all highway and bridge construction and maintenance in Northumberland. These services are also provided to a number of other local authorities and other organisations in the construction industry in the North East.  
 
We have extensive experience and a proven track record in the compliance testing of road pavement materials, ensuring they are durable and long-lasting. 
 
The laboratory, located at Cramlington, offers testing facilities for analysis of materials used in highway construction, civil engineering and general construction. 
 
Their facilities mean the laboratory can provide a one-stop shop for those requiring a prompt, accurate, material-testing service, including: 

  • ground investigation 
  • bridge investigations 
  • soil testing 
  • asphalt and macadam testing 
  • aggregates and concrete testing 
  • road pavement investigation and analysis 
  • factual and interpretative reports 
  • ground treatment design 
  • stability analysis 
  • topographical surveying 
The laboratory is UKAS-accredited to ISO/IEC 17025:2005 for a range of sampling and testing activities. 
 
UKAS is the only body recognised by the government to assess organisations that provide certification, inspection, testing and calibration services against internationally recognised standards. Accreditation by UKAS demonstrates the competence, impartiality and performance capability of the testing service. 
 
A full list of accredited activities can be found on the UKAS website or upon request. 
“We were very pleased to find another well-equipped and dedicated highways laboratory to show the delegates the varied aspects of asphalt testing. Thank you for sharing your knowledge and enthusiasm. It is noted, appreciated and the whole industry gains as a result.” – Newcastle University 
Our sign shop offers a comprehensive range of road signs and related products for businesses and organisations to support the flow of traffic within their premises.

When choosing us organisations:
  • Purchase signs manufactured to the same standard as signs used on Northumberland's highways
  • All signs are produced at our base in Cramlington
  • Our manufacturing process has gained us a CE-marked accreditation. 

 
Our workforce has an unrivalled wealth of industry experience and is equipped to help with design, sign specifications and custom-made signs. Plus, all our work is completed to a set of minimum standards: 

  • signs manufactured to BSEN 12899-1:2007 
  • steel, aluminium, dibond and traffic-grade composites 
  • laminates 
  • class reference RA1 (engineering grade) 
  • class reference RA2 (high intensity) 
  • class reference RA3 (microprismatic) 

Click here to view our approval certificate
 
For more information or to order a sign: 

Roundabout sponsorship shows a company’s commitment to improving their local and wider community, while providing a cost-effective way to promote their business and raise their profile.

The sponsorship scheme provides an opportunity for local and national businesses to support the county council in delivering its statutory functions.

Northumberland has an extensive highway network stretching from Durham to the Scottish borders and from the east coast across to Cumbria. Roundabouts are a key feature in towns and villages across the county. When compared to other types of media outlets, sponsorship tends to be one of the most competitive. 
 
Benefits: 

  • You will have your name displayed in a highly visible location all year round. 
  • You will have a rare opportunity to engage with people while they’re on the move and a chance to show support for the local authority while maintaining exclusive space free from your direct competitors. 
  • Roundabout signs provide a company with uninterrupted coverage of your business and are safely and strategically sighted to achieve maximum exposure. 
  • If you are located in a remote location, a roundabout sign can prove invaluable as a means of attracting new customers. 
  • All the income raised from the sponsorship of roundabouts is reinvested into the highways network. 
  • Northumberland County Council does not currently offer any other type of sponsorship facility. 

 
The corporate plan for the roundabout scheme is as follows: 

  • Our aim is to promote a more prosperous county through sustainable economic growth that provides residents with access to higher wage and skilled jobs and opportunities to create thriving businesses. 
  • We also aim to maintain and further improve the quality of our towns, villages and countryside, and make it easier for residents to access services and high-quality affordable homes, and to travel using different modes of transport. 
Roundabout sponsorship within Northumberland, regardless of location, is subject to an annual fee of £1,000 per panel plus VAT. This includes the annual rental and maintenance of the sign. 
 
These charges are subject to annual review. 
If you wish to register your interest for one of the available sites, please email streetworks@northumberland.gov.uk or call 0345 600 6400, quoting the site reference number which can be found in ‘available sites’ table above. 
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