SOLDIERS from the Royal Engineers who have been clearing rubble and abandoned vehicles from a vital route in Cumbria have been thanked for their efforts. 

Pupils at Grasmere Primary School invited personnel from 21 Engineer Regiment to lunch so they could show their gratitude for the efforts being made by the military, alongside Cumbria County Council, to clear the A591. 

A journey between Grasmere and Keswick, which typically takes 20 minutes, now takes two hours, and for children living along the affected route the ‘school run’ has become impossible. 

Jane Hill used to be able to get her five year-old daughter Olivia to school by car in just ten minutes but now faces a two hour, 78 mile journey each way. 

She said: “I normally live in Thirlmere but I’ve had to move here so that I can get Olivia to and from school. The roads I’d have to use to take the longer journey can be dangerous in winter, so my friend is letting me have one of her holiday cottages here in Grasmere for the rest of this week. 

"The Royal Engineers have been incredible. They have been working all sorts of shifts and must be exhausted. We are really lucky to have them here clearing the A591. If we hadn’t had them it would have taken so much longer.” 

Molly Steels, 11, is a pupil at Grasmere Primary School and said the events of the past week have been upsetting, but she added: “I’d really like to say ‘thank you’ to the soldiers who have been working on the road. It means a lot to me that people are trying to help us. I just hope that this doesn’t happen again.” 

Head teacher at Grasmere Primary School, Johanna Goode, said: “The A591 is a lifeline for us here in Grasmere and without it we have no other practical option. It is not just the children here who are affected; older children cannot get from Grasmere to Keswick School. 

"It’s also affecting journeys to work and access to medicines. The villagers sent some food and hot drinks up to the soldiers' work site yesterday; anybody who works there in the depths of winter deserves a hot cup of tea! But we also wanted to invite the engineers in to school so we could say ‘thank you’ in person.” 

21 Engineer Regiment’s 2nd Lieutenant Rob Whitby, 22 and from Chester, said: “The guys have worked really hard. The team we have here is very knowledgeable and they know how to tackle the task head on. To come here to Grasmere Primary today has been wonderful, it’s given us a lot of job satisfaction. 

"It demonstrates that we have been doing here was no training exercise; it means a lot to this community and that makes us feel that we are important to them.”