THE closure of a small but vital bridge is set to leave whole communities stranded or facing extensive diversions. 

Cumbria County Council has announced it will be closing Duddon Bridge overnight on Wednesday October 21. 

The bridge, located on the A595, will be closed for resurfacing but will leave people requiring access having to travel more than 100 miles around the edge of the county just to travel a few metres. 

Council workers have issued an official diversion route which will see drivers wishing to cross bridge having to journey up the west coast to Cockermouth, across to Keswick and Penrith, down the M6 to Kendal and back down the A590 to Ulverston, before taking the A5092 towards Broughton. 

The only exceptions to this rule are emergency vehicles which will be given full access to the bridge. 

A spokesman from Cumbria County Council said:

 "As the resurfacing is taking place over the bridge itself and due to the limited width available, the bridge will need to be closed to traffic in both directions between 10pm and 6am. 

"The work has been timed to take place at night in order to minimise disruption. 

"Drivers are advised to avoid the area during this period as the official diversion is extensive. The council apologises for any inconvenience.”

Although the road will only be closed between 10pm and 6am, the diversion is still set to cause some disruption across the county. 

Keith Little, Cumbria County Council cabinet member for highways and transport, is surprised by the decision. 

He said: "It's certainly necessary to resurface the road but whether or not there's a more manageable way, I don't know. 

"I wouldn't have expected a 100 mile detour and I'm surprised that that's what they're asking. 

"The council should have carried out some monitoring work to see how many people are using that bridge at that time and why, and if it's something we haven't done then it's something that will happen."

David William Norman Fletcher, Cumbria county councillor for the Duddon area, doesn't believe the closure will be a problem. 

He said: "In the broad scheme of things this is all that the council can do. 

"It's being closed to carry out essential work to the bridge. 

"It's about the improving the state of the road on the bridge."

He continued: "On a bridge like that, if the surface is not repaired you will get water going into the sub-structure of the bridge, so it's essential to prevent that happening.

"The people who will be using the bridge at the time will be local traffic coming from Barrow to Sellafield and back. 

"They will be well aware of the options they have."

Cllr Fletcher is also confident that the closure shouldn't affect the commuters that need access to the bridge. 

"Sellafield workers would be going through at around 7.30 in the morning and coming back at around 6.30 at night and we're hoping the work will have been done by then. 

"Anybody who needs to use that road at that time will have re-scheduled or will be prepared to take the diversion."