DRIVERS on west Cumbria’s busiest road have endured more than 700 closures or disruptions over a decade, said a county MP.

Jamie Reed added stretches of the A595 were shut or access was restricted an average of once every five days in the 10 years up to 2013.

He was speaking in the wake of the revelation that part of this road may be closed for a year because of the threat of a landslip.

The problem has emerged at an embankment to the left of the A595 northbound, between the Lowca junction and the Howgate roundabout.

Mr Reed, who represents Copeland, said the potential closure was further proof of the “pressing need for serious investment in key infrastructure”.

He said: “Report after report into the road network in the north has ignored the urgent need for road improvement works in west Cumbria.

“Between 2004 and 2013, the A595 was closed or access was restricted on average once every five days.

“That is over 700 times.

“The Government simply has to step up.”

Mr Reed said he had written to the Chancellor George Osborne outlining the case for investment in the A595.

“But in his budget, he left us out and let us down,” added Mr Reed.


MP Jamie Reed “The A595 is the main artery of west Cumbria and it is essential that it is fit for purpose.

“I will continue to raise this matter with the Government until they see sense.”

Highways England and Cumbria County Council have responsibility for the road, each taking on a stretch of the route.

A Highways England spokesman said: “Some disruption during wear-and-tear repairs and investment in improvements is almost inevitable on any road.

“But Highways England works extremely hard across Cumbria to plan road works to ensure disruption to road users and local communities is minimised as far as possible.

“Our planning for the major repair and possible closure of the A595 at Low Moresby is an example of that and we are staging a public meeting next week to hear people’s views about potential diversion routes.

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“Having said that, we try to avoid totally closing our section of the A595 to do routine repairs or improvements, instead relying on temporary traffic lights mainly overnight – but sometimes during other off-peak periods during the day – to keep the road open, avoid diverting road users and provide a safe working space for our road workers.”

A spokesman for Cumbria County Council was not available to comment.

Talks are underway about how to deal with the huge amount of traffic that uses the road in the event of a closure.

One possibility could involve a 40-mile diversion through Egremont, Frizington, Lamplugh and Cockermouth.

Instead of a diversion, a temporary road bypassing the closed stretch may be built.

Highways England said the Victorian embankment was reaching the end of its life and would need to be replaced.

No target start date has been revealed. Highways England will hold talks about the road proposals at Lowca Village Hall between 2pm and 6.30pm next Thursday.