Cumbria has been named among the top 10 areas where the most bridges are deemed to be "substandard".

Research conducted by the RAC Foundation states that 71 of the 1,911 structures maintained by Cumbria County Council are not fit to carry the heaviest vehicles, including lorries of up to 44 tonnes.

The charity said that analysis of data received from 199 of the 207 local highway authorities in England, Scotland and Wales revealed that 3,203 bridges are in this category. This put Cumbria in eighth place in a chart.

But Keith Little, cabinet member for highways and transport, said that the bridges which are deemed to be substandard are subject to weight restrictions which are clearly signposted.

"They're between 100 and 200 years old," he told the News & Star.

"They were built in the 1800s and early 1900s and were never designed to have vehicles weighing between 40 and 50 tonnes travelling on them.

"The problem is that drivers are ignoring the signs or following a sat nav and are driving across them anyway."

Mr Little conceded that the council is unable to closely monitor drivers who are ignoring weight restriction signs but added that none of the major bridges in Cumbria are "substandard". "There's little that we can do," he said.

"The signs are in place for a reason and you expect people to take notice of them. We've got no intention of replacing the bridges but we do inspect them and carry out maintenance and repairs when necessary."

Steve Gooding, director of the RAC Foundation, said: "It’s the pothole backlog that normally hits the headlines but it is easy to forget all the other aspects of road maintenance that councils are involved in; from clearing ditches to cutting verges to maintaining bridges.

"In the face of growing traffic volumes and ageing infrastructure the danger is that without an adequate long-term funding settlement we will see more rather than fewer bridges with weight restrictions."