Flimby road closure as £1.5m flood defence work begins

Many homes in Flimby were flooded during storm Desmond in 2015

Motorists are facing disruption when a project begins to strengthen defences in two flood-prone areas in Cumbria.

In 2015 Maryport and Flimby were badly hit by Storm Desmond and Cumbria County Council said work had been ongoing since then to protect communities.

Changes will include closing the A596 at Bragg Beck so a culvert can be replaced to protect against future storms, the county council said.

The scheme, which is costing £1.5m, gets under way on 11 April.

Tasks already carried out include remediation work to an existing flood gate adjacent to the A596 and the construction of additional dams to slow the flow of water in woodland east of Flimby.

The county council said the latest work would take five weeks and road diversions would be in place.

Following the closure of the road, the new unitary authority, Cumberland Council, will install a traffic management system which will be in place for several weeks.