ROAD closures around Whitehaven are ‘causing utter chaos’, a meeting heard - as councillors considered lodging a complaint.

Members of Whitehaven Town Council raised their concerns over multiple road closures including New Road and Harras Road, which are main routes into the town centre.

Harras Road is now closed for six weeks and the closure in place on New Road was extended until September 30, after the works were originally scheduled to be complete by September 27.

At Whitehaven Town Council’s latest meeting, Ryan Taylor, who represents Hillcrest, said the road closures were causing ‘absolute chaos’.

He said residents living near Jericho Primary School, Whitehaven Academy and St Benedict’s School, had also been affected by a recent road closure for gas mains work.

Cllr Taylor said: “They’ve closed Harras Road off for a number of weeks. They keep closing Midgey and they’ve closed New Road.

“They closed Standings Rise last week and nobody knew it was coming. All these roads are being closed at the same time and it’s causing absolute chaos.

“People are saying, who is coordinating it all because they are creating utter chaos and making a bad situation a million times worse.”

Cllr Chris Hayes, for Kells, added: “They are closing so many roads in Whitehaven, it’s unbelievable.”

Cllr Brian O’Kane, who represents Whitehaven Central North, said: “It is ridiculous. As a council, we are obliged to be commenting and accusing them of this shambolic behaviour. It seems completely unplanned and uncoordinated.

“Can we submit a formal complaint from the council on the lack of communication and coordination around the traffic situation?”

A spokesperson for Cumberland Council said: "The road closure on New Road is necessary to facilitate essential highway improvement works. Philip Carruthers, on behalf of John Swift Homes, is overseeing the creation of new accesses into the site and service connections for drainage.

“We coordinate road closures to avoid conflicts. Road closures are used as a last resort to ensure the safety of both the workforce and the public. Appropriate diversions will be in place throughout the works."