Gallery owners say roadworks contributed to closure

Carlie-Rose and Ben Bush said they "loved" working with the Cockermouth community

The owners of an art gallery say months of roadworks outside their business contributed to their decision to permanently close.

Ben and Carlie-Rose Bush, owners of the Bridge Gallery in Cockermouth, said partial road closures following the collapse of the Old Courthouse left them cut off from the rest of the town.

With their closure due in August, the couple said the repairs were the "straw that broke the camel's back" alongside the cost of living crisis and government changes.

Cumberland Council said the bridge, which has had partial closures in place since October, was now open to two-way traffic and pedestrian access had been maintained throughout.

The bridge next to the gallery, above the River Cocker, was closed after the Old Courthouse Building partially collapsed into the river.

Mr Bush said scaffolding had been put up to "stop falling masonry", but the council had to "restrict traffic and put signs right outside our gallery".

The bridge reopened to one-way traffic in December

Mrs Bush, who has owned the gallery for three years, said the screen and one-way traffic "made a blind spot for pedestrians" and "no-one was coming over".

She added the business may have been able to "weather it a bit more" if there was more communication from Cumberland Council.

The couple opened the art gallery in Cockermouth three years ago

Mr Bush said they had "managed to come into the town and work with the community and with the other shops and galleries to benefit Cockermouth".

Ms Bush added that they had "loved being a part of Market Place".

She said: "Although the bridge opening now has not come at the right time for us, we hope that people will continue to support Market Place and go and visit these creative independent businesses."

A Cumberland Council spokeswoman said the bridge was reopened to traffic in December.

She said: "Traffic was controlled by traffic lights on either side of the bridge, and pedestrian access across the bridge has also been maintained.

"We can confirm that we provided an update on the bridge reopening to traffic at the earliest opportunity and, when the plans were confirmed, we updated local stakeholders."