BUSINESSES are suffering and motorists are risking their safety on the Allonby to Silloth road, a Mawbray businessman claimed this week.

Bill James, who owns Bank Mill Nurseries, said that electronic signs warning people not to use the road because of high tides and flooding were not working properly. 

He claimed it meant the road remained closed for several days after it was clear.

Last weekend, he said, the signs were not put up and at least two vehicles were stuck in floods on the coast road and he spent some time stopping traffic going through.

The county council said that during the first week of high tides, the road was closed from November 13 to November 18, but Mr James and John Nattrass of the Gincase visitor attraction at Mawbray said it was still closed on November 19.

Both said their takings were slashed and both have written to the county council to try and resolve the situation.

Mr James said he had heard of several people who were lost because diversion signs were hit and miss.

He said: "People are so used to the road being closed unnecessarily that they come through it anyway and that is what happened last weekend. One of these days someone will come through when there really is a danger."

A county council spokesman said: "This road was closed from November 13 to 18 for safety reasons, due to the severe wet weather, high winds and tidal overspill which caused flooding and brought a large amount of debris on to the road.

"Council highways maintenance teams worked around the clock to clear a number of roads across the county during the severe weather and this road was reopened on November 18.

"We are aware there was an issue with the electronic signs, which we were trying to resolve, and we apologise for any inconvenience."

The spokesman said the signs were now working correctly.

He advised road users not to attempt to drive through any flood water and warned that there was also a risk of damage to vehicles from debris in severe storms.

He added: "When the coast road is closed, we would advise drivers to follow a diversion via Maryport, Aspatria and Silloth.”