THERE is set to be severe disruption as the A590 is closed eastbound on one of the busiest getaway nights of the festive period.

Diversions will add an additional 21.2 miles to motorists’ journeys and an additional travel time of around 34 minutes.

Highways England announced that a 3km stretch of the eastbound carriageway of the A590 from Low Newton to Meathop will shut tonight. 

The road will be closed from 8pm to 6am the following morning. The closure is to allow lorries to remove heavy machinery and shift heavy roadblocks off the carriageway.

A spokesman for Highways England said: “Over the Christmas period we haven’t heard of any further disruption so this closure will be to move the current roadworks to make journeys smoother.

“This will mean the lanes and roads will be restored for this busy time so that everyone can get along smoothly.

“These roadworks will be resumed in the New Year where, once again, there will then be one lane of moving traffic.”

Traffic will be directed to the A592 towards Newby Bridge, and on the A591 past Windermere.

The diversion will start at the roundabout next to Black Beck Caravan Park which will take drivers up to Bowness and then to Windermere.

On reaching Windermere, drivers will be directed to the A591 eastbound, passing Staveley and Burneside and rejoining the A590 at the roundabout near Sizergh.

TransPennine Express, one of the main train companies running through south Cumbria, say their services are expected to run as normal. 

A spokesman said: “Our services will operate under normal timetables up to and on Christmas Eve until the early evening. We are asking customers to check their journey if they are travelling after 7pm.”

There will be no services on Christmas Day or Boxing Day, and there are planned service altercations on January 4 with very early morning and late night trains running between Barrow and Preston.