More than 1,000 people have signed a petition to keep a seating area in a flood-hit village.

The Village Shop at Braithwaite, near Keswick, expanded its seating area outside when it reopened in June after suffering from Storm Desmond.

But last week owner Daphne Eddington received a letter from the county council’s highways department, asking for the seats to be removed.

Daphne said: “I was quite shocked, all through the summer we had people that come here on holiday taking pictures of the shop and sitting down to take in the view. A lot of elderly people come here to sit down and have a chat, it’s a nice spot and people enjoy the atmosphere.

“It’s all about regenerating the area after what happened to us with the floods.

“We always had a bench outside the shop and we added two tables and three chairs, we spent a bit of money to make it nice with some flowers too.

“We want to have a nice little shop and this letter has just caused disappointment. You can’t just strip down towns bare.”

Daphne said she was overwhelmed by the response to the petition.

She added: “I can’t believe how many people signed it, it’s people who live here and others that come on holiday every year that don’t want it to change.

“I just seems to me that the county council isn’t aware of what’s happened here and of the community.

“We’ve lost everything after the floods, it’s just not right. We have paper copies of the petition in the shop and many elderly people are making the trip especially to come and sign it.”

Rebecca Greenwell, of Keswick, signed the petition.

She said: “I think it is awful that the council wish to deprive people of the opportunity to sit and appreciate the view outside the Village Shop.

“Braithwaite has had enough turmoil throughout the floods to have to answer to this. It is a disgrace.”

A council spokesman for the county council said: “Cumbria County Council has requested benches and communal seating to be removed from outside Braithwaite’s shop on the grounds that the furniture is an obstruction to the highway which could compromise the safety of road users and pedestrians.

“However, following feedback from the local community, the council is planning to discuss this issue with the shop owners to identify a way forward.”