Transport Secretary Chris Grayling visited the county in early March to announce two road infrastructure improvement schemes to cut congestion on the A595 and A66 between Cockermouth and Workington.

The improvements will reduce journey times for motorists and allow the roads to cope with future demand from new housing and the Port of Workington.

Highways England will spend £1.6m on improving the A595/A66 roundabout at Great Clifton. A further £1m will be invested in the Fitz roundabout. Work is expected to start by the spring of 2018 and end in 2018/2019.

The latest investments follow on from the West of M6 Strategic Connectivity Study, a key piece of research to plan the county’s road improvements and to provide the evidence base to bid for government funding.

The study, published after consultation by Cumbria Local Enterprise Partnership and Highways England, identifies the priority improvement schemes for the county’s major roads which would support economic growth, improve road use for tourists, reduce delays and accidents, improve the road system’s resilience to severe weather and roadworks, and minimise the environmental impact of traffic.