CONGESTED roads and over-stretched railway links are a major threat to the future of Southampton docks, according to top engineers.

The Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) has called on the Government to act now to improve the city’s ailing transport network with the surrounding region, to allow the port to grow.

Southampton could lose out to other European ports if important upgrades to the transport network do not happen urgently, the ICE’s State of the Nation: Transport report warns today.

ICE regional director for the South East, John Laverty, said: “Southampton is one of the UK’s busiest and most important ports, and a principal driver in the regional economy.

“Upgrades to the Southampton-West Midlands rail link, announced last year, will go a long way to improving the capacity for freight movements from the Port of Southampton to the rest of the UK.

“More must be done however to ensure that infrastructure and regional transport connections work efficiently and encourage more sustainable modes of transport both for people and goods.”

Last year, Southampton handled 43.8 million tonnes of cargo – a growth of 7.9 per cent on 2006 – representing an increased 8 per cent of the UK total.

Mr Laverty said it was vital that Southampton remained an international gateway to the world.

“We cannot afford for this trade to be diverted to deep-water ports outside the UK,” he said.

Deputy port manager Steven Young said: “We believe Southampton has relatively good road connections to the rest of the UK and outside of the peak congestion periods there is considerable capacity on the network.

“By operating an innovative vehicle booking system the port is able to utilise this capacity very effectively.”

However, Mr Young confirmed port bosses ABP were working closely with Southampton City Council and Hampshire County Council on possible future improvements.

“Clearly there must be Government attention to strategic regional road corridors to key transport gateways as has been recommended in the Eddington transport report,” Mr Young added.

ICE – which has more than 80,000 members – today sets out a ten-step plan to cut C02 emissions and reduce congestion.

The report will be presented at a conference on Thursday night, from 6.30pm, at Southampton University. Southampton Test MP Alan Whitehead will discuss the transport challenges the country faces.