Huge weeds at a beauty spot near Brampton have become a safety concern for rowers who train there.

Talkin Tarn Amateur Rowing Club said widespread weed growth in the lake has impacted its viability and even threatened to call off its biggest event of the year.

The club is now urging Brampton parish council and Carlisle City Council to establish a long-tern solution to the problem, which has been particularly bad this year.

Since May, rowers have had to avoid the infected areas of the tarn as their paddles get caught in the weeds, meaning there is a risk of capsizing where they could not be reached by the safety boat.

Chair Gill Houston spoke about the scale of the problem at Brampton parish council's latest meeting.

She told councillors how the club was forced to pay £900 for contractors to cut the weeds ahead of the regatta in June.

Ms Houston said this was "unprecedented action" for the club but without it the regatta, which attracts more than 1,000 competitors and supporters to the area, could not have happened. The club would have been deprived of it's main fundraising event while the local economy would have missed out on the benefits it brings to businesses.

"We would have have to cancel the regatta if we hadn't got the weeds cleared because there wasn't enough safe water to provide a race track," she said.

But one day of clearing wasn't enough and was only a temporary control. More, she said, needed to be done.

She told the Cumberland News: "We would like to be able to have access or be able to draw on funds to manage the weeds so it's not just coming down on the rowing club to do this.

"The city council has a responsibility for the tarn.

"We have realised that this is going to be something that needs to be managed."

While she admits she is no weed expert, Ms Houston expects maintenance would be on a "needs must basis".

City councillor Mike Mitchelson said: "We would be happy to facilitate a meeting to explain the problem because it shouldn't be falling on the rowing club.

"They are telling us income is up. We need to make sure they are going to invest some of that to sort the problem."

Brampton parish chairman David Moorat said: "If there is anyway we can help as a parish council we will certainly do so.

"I'm pleased to hear our city councillors endorse the view we have."

It comes as Chris Southward, responsible for environment and transport, reported to full council that income streams at Talkin Tarn "continue to outperform the budget expectations", particularly through car park tickets and the tea room.

"Any surplus," he said, "will be reinvested in improving visitor facilities at the country park."

A council spokeswoman said: “The pond weed is an ongoing issue and we welcome any discussion with the tarn users.”

Ms Houston added that the club valued the support from Brampton parish council and city councillors representing the town and was looking forward to working to find a solution.

The rowing club is continuing to monitor the situation and has restricted rowing to avoid the worst of the problem near the former Tarn End Hotel.

"At the moment we are just permanently going round in a little circle. It isn't great for our training," she said.

Where they would normally reached length of about 750m, the club have been restricted by the weeds to about 450m.