A major traffic survey taking place across Carlisle will be suspended at key times to ease congestion.

Cumbria County Council has apologised for the lengthy delays faced by motorists on roads into and out of the city.

Drivers have experienced significant issues as a result of the study.

This morning, huge tailbacks stretched from Eden Bridge right up to the Kingstown roundabout, due to traffic being stopped at Eden Bridge - which was reduced to one lane heading towards the city.

Some motorists were reporting delays of up to 50 minutes getting to work.

The council is carrying a four-day programme of roadside interview traffic surveys.

They started on Monday and finish tomorrow.

Sites have been chosen on busy routes across Carlisle, including Botcherby Bridge on Warwick Road on Monday.

The surveys are being undertaken to gather information on journey patterns.

They involve stopping a sample of drivers and asking them to volunteer to answer questions about their journeys.

Each survey site is operated in one direction, on one day only, with interviews expected to take between two and three minutes.

Traffic controls are provided by Cumbria police.

The council this morning apologised for the delays.

On Twitter they wrote: "Cumbria County Council is aware of the traffic congestion this morning. A broken down vehicle and inclement weather also contributed to delays. The council wishes to apologise to road users for the inconvenience this has caused.

"Officers are on site now to monitor the flow of traffic and will temporarily suspend the surveys as and when required to ease congestion throughout the day.

"The surveys are vital to gather data which helps inform key decisions around improving the highways network throughout the city and surrounding area."