TRADERS in Ulverston are losing half their business due to disruptions on the A590, a meeting has heard.

According to one Ulverston BID member, business in the town centre falls by 50 per cent when maintenance works are carried out on the major road.

Michelle Scrogham raised the issue during yesterday’s Cumbria Better Connected group meeting, citing the roadworks as ‘majorly disruptive’ to town business.

She said: “Every time there’s roadworks and disruption, our businesses drop by 50 per cent.

“You can imagine what the atmosphere is like in the town centre when this happens.

“It appears no-one talks to each other about arranging the times to carry out the roadworks.

“I don’t understand why it can’t be carried out with minimal impact and not interfere with school runs and peak traffic time for example.”

Furness MP John Woodcock said: “There seems to be no safety reason why the works cannot be carried out at night - it has been done before.

“There needs to be incentives for utility companies to complete the works as quickly as possible.

“I raised this in Autumn and we’re now past the summer solstice and there’s been no change.”

Mike Sinnott, representative for Highways England, said they cannot interfere with company working times.

He said: “We can’t direct utility companies with working hours but if we’re unhappy, we would work with them for a compromised solution.”