A PUB landlord from Swarthmoor has labelled Highways England as a "joke" after they scheduled roadworks on a busy main road for most of the school summer holidays.
Starting from August 8, a 40mph speed limit will be enforced on the A590 between Red Syke Railway Bridge in Ulverston and Park Road in Swarthmoor for five weeks between 7pm and 6am.
During these hours, a new surface will be laid by workmen and, at certain times, a convoy will be forced to guide drivers through the work at a maximum speed of 10mph.
Stuart Ward, 59, is the landlord of the Miners Arms pub in Swarthmoor, and has argued with Highways England before about roadworks on the busy A590.
He has called the decision to resurface the road during the six-week summer break as "disgusting" and is adamant that he will lose customers.
Mr Ward said: "We serve food until late at night so if this work is going to be happening from 7pm, our business is going to be affected because they will shut down some of the side roads, meaning we will lose customers.
"In the summer, the zoo is incredibly popular and people come from all over the country to visit it. A lot of families usually come to us after they have been there to grab a bite to eat but, if there's work going on, people won't stop by. It's one of the biggest tourists attractions in the country for kids yet they still want to do roadworks during the summer holidays. Where is the sense in that?"
"It is disgusting and I think that Highways England are just a joke. They have no consideration for anybody and are behaving like utter clowns.
"I just can't understand why they don't resurface the road when they build the roundabout at Cross-A-Moor as it makes sense to do it all in one go. Also, if they brought the speed limit down to 30mph, there would be less collisions, families would be safer and the road would be smoother."
Highways England project manager Peter Gee said: “The carriageway is in need of resurfacing to address cracks and potholes. Drivers will benefit from smoother journeys as a result. We have designed a tight programme to get the work finished with minimum disruption.”
Motorists travelling through the Lindal dip will also face travel disruption as roadworks will get under way to improve the drainage system in the case of a flood.
The second phase of repairs was set to take place last Friday but Highways England has decided to postpone the work due to the number of events going on around the area.
The work will now start on Friday and will be completed by August 17.
During that period, 24-hour traffic signals will be in place over the two weekends that the work covers.
READ MORE: Roadworks on A590 set to create more travel disruption
Planned roadworks in Dalton and Lindal
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here