Further details of a £4.6m plan to improve traffic flows in towns across Cumbria have been revealed.

Earlier this week, Cumbria County Council announced it wants to create an extra lane on Carlisle's Warwick Road in a bid to reduce congestion and improve links from the M6 to Durranhill.

It has now confirmed that further plans are being drawn up for other parts of the county, including Workington, Whitehaven, Penrith, Kendal and Barrow.

The £4.6m has come to the county council from the new National Productivity Investment Fund (NPIF).

This funding has to be spent on projects throughout Cumbria to reduce congestion at key locations, upgrade or improve local highways and improve access to employment and housing sites.

The money has to be spent in the current financial year, so the authority said it could only consider schemes that are quick to deliver.

The Carlisle scheme will see part of Warwick Road upgraded, creating a new lane from the Rosehill industrial estate to Eastern Way.

The road would also be widened slightly at various points, traffic islands re-positioned, road markings altered and traffic signals upgraded.

That scheme, due to start in early 2018, would cost £1m.

The News & Star can reveal that the remaining £3.6m would be spent in the following areas:

*Workington: widening of highways to improve flow of traffic, plus other improvement works

*Penrith: Road widening on approach to key roundabout to improve access to additional employment land

*Whitehaven: Road maintenance scheme to improve access a key public services

*Barrow: Improve access to unlock development sites

*Kendal/Burneside: Road widening scheme and improved access to employment sites

*Cumbria-wide: Enhance signalised junctions to reduce congestion in urban centres across the county

Full details of the schemes have not yet been made public.

A county council spokesman said local consultations would take place in each area in due course.

This is expected to happen quickly to meet the deadline for funding to be spent.

In Carlisle, consultation starts next week on the Warwick Road plan.

A drop-in event will take place at the Shepherds Inn, Rosehill, on Monday, between 4pm and 7pm.

The council says its objective is to ease traffic congestion within this area of the city, which is a busy commuter route.

It would improve access to the recently redeveloped Durranhill Industrial Estate.