Work is underway on a flood alleviation project along the A66 road in Cumbria.

The first £1.5 million phase of work, to protect the route where it runs alongside Bassenthwaite Lake, began on Monday, 19 September.

The scheme will see the carriageway raised by almost one-and-a-half metres in response to recent flooding incidents in recent years.

Overall, five sections of the route will be improved over the next six months.

Once the first phase is completed by the end of December, subsequent work will involve:


• Between October and December raising the road by about 1.1 metres near Smithy Green Cottage.

• Between October and January of next year driving some 2,300 soil nails into the central reservation to improve the stability of the embankment at the western end of the dual carriageway.

• Between January and March of next year raising two sections of the road by around 1.3 metres where it runs adjacent to the lakeside osprey watching sites.

Highways England Programme Manager John Lyssejko said: "The A66 is one of the key arteries of the county, linking communities to the M6 and the rest of the strategic road network.

"Notwithstanding December's storms, it generally copes well with prolonged rainfall. However, given the increasing frequency and severity of bad weather, it is vitally important to increase its resilience to flooding from Bassenthwaite Lake."

(LM/CD)