The A4601 runs through Cannock, Staffordshire, in a general southwest to northeast direction, with a short multiplex along the A34 in the town centre.
A railway bridge at the northern end of the route
The number initially came into use in the 1980s when the Cannock Eastern Bypass was constructed, leading to the A460 being moved from the town centre route to the Eastern Bypass via a multiplex with the A5 through Bridgtown. The number was almost certainly chosen so that signage could be easily patched with an extra "1", but as the road was entirely to the north of the A5, the number was incorrectly used.
This error was corrected in 2003, when the new route of the A460 avoiding the Bridgtown multiplex was constructed alongside the M6 Toll. This meant that the A4601 was extended south of the A5 to Wedges Mills Interchange (aka M6 Toll junction T8) and into the correct zone for the first time.
