FEARS are growing for the future of a South Lakeland village split in two by a closed bridge damaged in December's storms.

Staveley has been divided since the bridge over the River Gowan in the heart of the village started crumbling and was closed by Cumbria County Council for repairs to be made.

Businesses in the village are already suffering as a result of the sharp decline in passing trade and there are concerns that some will not survive a prolonged closure of the bridge.

Criticism has been levelled at CCC, with prominent local figures saying it is taking an 'unacceptably long time' to conduct urgent repair work.

Sewerage, telephone cables and gas mains all run across the bridge and will need to be diverted before work can begin.

But, despite the bridge being out of use since late 2015, only the gas has been re-directed so far.

Work could be delayed still further as Natural England and the Environment Agency could force the county council to undertake work in order to protect the endangered white claw crayfish that live in that stretch of the river, which is a designated Special Area of Conservation.

However, the bridge is deteriorating every day and is at imminent risk of total collapse, according to local councillor Stan Collins. He points out that the environmental impact of sewage spilling into the water would be far greater than that of the machinery used during repair work.

Were the bridge to crumble before the utilities were diverted, the village would be split completely in two - with half of its residents and businesses facing-up to the reality of being left without vital services in the run-up to the busiest tourism period of the year.

"The bridge is in danger of collapse," said Cllr Collins. "It could fall away and run the risk of flooding the village.

"The bridge is deteriorating and getting worse every day.

"Eighteen months is an unacceptably long time to wait for repair work - they should be able to get on with it sooner.

"I have no confidence that we will keep all the businesses in the village if it takes that long.

"Cumbria County Council have to fix it soon because otherwise they may have an emergency job to do when the bridge collapses.

"I can't see why they can't get a replacement bridge in place this year."

Business owners are also urging the council to speed-up their repair operation, with Graham Livesey, the owner of The Beehive, feeling the pinch on a daily basis.

"Our trade has been affected. We've lost a lot of passing trade," he said. "Sales are down around 25 per cent and we're trading at a loss.

"I'm working up to 80 hour weeks and effectively paying to come to work.

"As long as the bridge stays closed I'm going to be losing £300 a week in profit."

Jenna Wood, 29, is the director of the Spar shop, located on Main Street, said: "There are definitely less customers. We're down each week at the moment. We should have been a lot busier than we are - people just don't pass through the village now."

Toby Dalton, the owner of Wheelbase, in Staveley Mill Yard, says he has informed the council that their 'road closed' signs are in the wrong part of the village and are deterring visitors from passing through, but nothing has been done about it.

"The signage has been pretty poor," he said. "They've put a road closure sign on the approach to the village and they've been told this isn't right - the road is open past the Spar shop.

"Nervous drivers think the road is closed and turn back.

"There used to be plenty of traffic and walkers but that's stopped."

A spokesperson for CCC said: "The permanent resilient solution for this bridge is to replace it with a single span bridge, which our flood recovery team is now reviewing.

"Although we are seeking a quicker solution, the timeframe for replacement of this bridge may be up to 18 months, which would include surveys, ground investigations, design and construction."

Due to the bridge's proximity to the protected white claw crayfish, CCC will have to be granted permission by Natural England to conduct work at the site, and may have to undertake a 'crayfish rescue' before repairs can be carried out.

A spokesperson for the Environment Agency said: "The river is designated as a Special Area of Conservation, and as such is covered by legislation protecting the river and its features, such as the white clawed crayfish.

"When providing permission under one of our licences or consents to work in the river, consideration of the designation and its features is necessary to reduce any negative impact.

"Following consultation with Natural England, who are the lead agency for protected species and sites, we may ask for necessary mitigation to protect the white clawed crayfish or other species.

"This is done to protect the designated species and the site, as well as the applicant, who will be carrying out the work to make sure they comply with the legislation."

But locals say this raises serious questions over Natural England's priorities - do they 'turn a blind eye' and allow work to begin so businesses can survive, or do they delay procedures in order to preserve the crayfish?

Mr Livesey said: "It's frustrating. How long can we put up with it? Should they carry out work at a time of year when you're not normally allowed to touch the water? Yes. Stuff it, make an exception. If people were to turn a blind eye and get the damn thing open as fast as possible then it would be great - we'd survive the troubles and I'm sure the crayfish would too."