The bus service which runs between Workington and Silloth will be forced to stop at Allonby until further notice following the closure of the B5300 coast road at Dubmill Point.

Cumbria County Council yesterday put in an emergency road closure on a 1.9km stretch of the road, north of Allonby, after an inspection showed there was only 2.9m of coastline between the carriageway and the sea.

A strip of land almost two metres wide had been washed away since the previous inspection just before Christmas.

News and Star: The B5300 has been closed after erosion shrunk the bank between the road and the sea. Picture: Cumbria County CouncilThe B5300 has been closed after erosion shrunk the bank between the road and the sea. Picture: Cumbria County Council

The closure has prevented Ellenvale Coach Company operating its full number 60 route, which runs from Workington to Silloth.

As a result of the closure, the service is currently operating between Workington and Allonby only. Service times are unaffected by the change.

Steve Newton, compliance operations manager for the firm, said: "We're frustrated that we can't run the service.We hope to get back in action on the full route as soon as we can.

"We apologise to all the people we are missing but we are working against the elements and it's circumstances outside our control."

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