RESIDENTS have been left furious after a track offering access to their homes was blocked by a housing developer.

Families living near to Lund Hall in Ulverston said they are at the end of their tether after the "key route" was "blocked without notice".

But Oakmere Homes who are building the 101 properties said they have permission to block the track from Monument Way alongside the field to the private access track serving Lund Hall from Morecambe Road.

Lund Hall resident Malcolm Bell said: “We, the residents, weren’t taken into consideration at all, they just blocked it and that was it.

“We weren’t even warned that the road was going to be blocked off, which was a big surprise.

“That is our legal right of access to Lund Hall, we don’t have any other and it is even included on our deeds."

After raising concerns Mr Bell was sent a letter from the landowners solicitor.

It said: “The purchasers of the land, Oakmere Homes (Kendal) have authority to use the track but there is no permission to block your access along the same.”

The letter added: “it may have been an oversight by Oakmere Homes that residents had access along the track.”

Ulverston Mayor Cllr Dave Webster is keen to try and help resolve the issue after he was contacted by a number of concerned residents.

He said: “For the residents of Lund Hall this was one of their key access routes to their homes.

“They have also blocked off part of the footpath, which means they are no longing complying with section 106 of their planning agreement, which clearly states that it should not be blocked.

“I am very frustrated with the actions that have been taken as it was previously a safe route for children to take and I fully understand the frustrations of those residents who have raised their concerns with us.”

Mark Wilkinson, operations director for Oakmere Homes said his firm was forced to shut the track for "safety reasons” as it is the primary works access for the site.

He said failure to do so would have been "dangerous".

Mr Wilkinson said: “We hope to re-open soon to keep the status quo, but confirm that the land owner has advised that this track is not a public right of way and access is by way of ‘permissive’ rights only.”

In a letter addressed to residents of Monument Way he also said: "Previous work carried out by another developer did not complete the footpath link to Morecambe Road, they wrongly assumed the use of the private access track has ‘permissive’ rights by the land owner.”