AFTER flooding chaos in west Cumbria this week, pressure is being put on the Government to improve the A595.

Copeland mayor Mike Starkie has started an online petition, written a strongly-worded letter to the Secretary of State for Transport, Chris Grayling, and invited him to visit the areas affected.

Persistent rain at the weekend caused the A595 to be closed in two places, at Bootle and Duddon Bridge on Monday - forcing drivers travelling to Millom to take a 100-mile detour.

A multi-agency coordination group was also set up to deal with localised flooding in Bootle and Millom.

After visiting flood-affected residents in Bootle on Tuesday, Mr Starkie said the road is not “fit for purpose” after the “ridiculous, inconvenient, and unnecessary situation” caused by flooding.

In his letter to Mr Grayling, he said: "Severe damage to properties and possessions was a very sad situation to witness and my heart goes out to all the residents adversely effected.

"It is also very important for me to point out that in the event of an emergency at Sellafield a road closure would greatly impede evacuation and of course emergency vehicles with potentially devastating consequences.

"The situation regarding the A595 is not new. Over many years there has been much disquiet in Copeland in respect of the lack of good road infrastructure.

"The time though has surely come when action needs to be taken and there needs to be government intervention."

Sign the petition here