CAMPAIGNERS calling for an upgrade of a hazardous pinch-point on a notorious road which links south and west Cumbria have received a double boost.

After Furness MP John Woodcock raised the issue of Dove Ford, on the A595 at Grizebeck, in a Westminster debate, nuclear minister Richard Harrington MP gave an undertaking that he would become personally involved in trying to persuade the Department for Transport to upgrade the bottleneck.

And then Mr Woodcock received a letter from roads minister Jesse Norman who has instructed Department for Transport officials to consider adding the A595 to the Major Road Network programme – which could see it share £1bn of ring-fenced investment..

“Both developments are good news for our campaign to bring about an upgrade at the Dove Ford choke point which is one of the most hazardous stretches of road in Cumbria," said Mr Woodcock.

“I am glad to have been able to work alongside Copeland MP Trudy Harrison in pressing for work to be carried out and these commitments from government ministers bode well.

“Works that would eliminate the bottleneck are vital in our plan to improve transport links so south and west Cumbria can become a global hub of civil and military nuclear excellence and I have written to fellow campaigners telling them of the ministers’ pledges.”

In his letter to Mr Woodcock roads minister Jesse Norman wrote: “I have asked department officials to give due consideration to adding the A595 to the Major Road Network as part of our analysis of all consultation responses. The department is aiming to publish a response to the consultation shortly, with a view to launching the final network map and further details on the scheme selection process by the end of the year.

“Once launched it will be for the local authority, working with other regional partners, to make the case for MRN funding for particular schemes. In the meantime I would encourage you to work with your local and regional transport bodies, so that once the department reaches the stage of looking at individual schemes, it will be able to review proposals for addressing the Dove Ford pinch-point.”