A ROAD-narrowing trial on a busy Kendal highway was brought to a premature end to avoid further traffic disruption as work on a new supermarket got under way in the town.

Contractors moved in on Monday to begin work at the site of Kendal Rugby Club's former home on Shap Road.

The partnership between the club and Morbaine saw the developers deliver a new complex for the club with a Sainsbury's now being built at their old ground.

The megastore is set to create 350 new full and part-time jobs and includes a petrol station, a cafe, 502 parking bays and an Argos unit within the main shop.

Alex Brodie, director of Morbaine, said it was expected the store will be handed over to the supermarket giants in July 2018. He added he expected the shop to open to customers early next October.

Cumbria County Council had been trialling a road-narrowing scheme on Wildman Street to assess the viability of a cycle lane, but have ended that a week ahead of schedule as a result of work beginning.

A spokesperson said: "This was intended to avoid further traffic disruption in the town centre. The trial enabled the council to gather a lot of data on traffic flow and the impact on other routes in the town.

"This data is now being analysed and will inform a decision about the scheme.”

Cllr Shirley Evans, CCC member for Kendal Nether, said she believed it would be a mistake for the trial to go ahead.

"It did have an impact on traffic and I had many residents contact me about it," she said. "The queues up Ann Street and Sedbergh Road have been markedly worse.

"We live on Appleby Road and that has been worse, definitely."

Andrew Aindow, owner of Sleddall Hall Antiques at Wildman Street, said that while motorists have suffered in longer queues, nearby businesses had actually benefited from being able to use a loading bay which was provided as part of the trial.