Residents unable to sleep over 'shoddy' road work

Residents living on a main commuter route say they are being kept up at night by manhole covers lifting and banging due to "shoddy" resurfacing work.

The A595 at Bootle, Cumbria, was resurfaced in 2023, but about a year ago people started to report problems every time they were being driven over.

It comes as Cumberland Council announced contractors would be correcting "substandard" work at Lorton, near Cockermouth, from Monday at their own expense.

A spokesman said they were aware of the issues at Bootle and work would be carried out "very shortly".

Claire Smith, 62, said she had been putting up with the noise for about a year.

She said as soon as the morning traffic started at Sellafield, which employs more than 10,000 people, the banging was constant.

"That bang starts at about 4am when the Sellafield traffic starts going through, then you've got tractors, the big wagons and all the lorries and everything you get on the A595," the retired teacher said.

"None of us are complaining about traffic noise, we know we live on the A595, we appreciate there's going to be traffic noise, but this is different, it's a really loud banging."

Mrs Smith, former head of English at Millom School, said the manhole and drain covers, referred to as ironworks, did not look faulty, but they lifted when vehicles drove over them.

She said she feared they may eventually start to lift more and flip out of the ground.

"It's just purely substandard work," she said.

A Cumberland Council spokesman said: "Cumberland Highways [...] appreciate that this is an outstanding remedial work that is due to be completed very shortly, as part of the work being undertaken at Holmrook."

The Labour-led authority said work was due to start on Monday for five days to rectify "substandard" work on the B5389 in Low Lorton.

A spokesman said the original resurfacing was completed in July 2023, but the road started showing signs of wear, "leading to quicker-than-expected deterioration".

They added: "The works had been carried out during periods of rainfall and, while undertaken with the best intentions, some issues have since emerged.

"The contractor responsible for the works were informed that they were required to carry out the necessary remedial repairs at their own expense."

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