A BARRIER to prevent flooding to dozens of caravans could be installed on Walney.

South End Caravan Park has applied to Barrow Borough Council for permission to install a new flood defence bund.

It would be used to protect the road leading to the lighthouse, South Walney Nature Reserve and four houses - as well as the caravan park.

The defence bund would join up with two existing barriers already in place by the road.

The Irish Sea is around 150m west of the site.

The site lies adjacent to the South Walney and Piel Flats site of special scientific interest.

A statement making up part of the application said: "A 900mm culvert will be installed underneath the bund to allow the watercourse to flow unobstructed.

"The proposal will help protect the existing road ensuring access to the south end of Walney is always maintained.

"It will have a positive impact on the locality and its users."

An ecological impact assessment forming part of the application said the proposed area is 'rough grazing occasionally inundated by tidal water' and 'the frequency of the inundation is believed to be increasing as the shoreline to the west erodes.

The caravan park features 50 touring patches.

Fears overs flooding on Walney have been raised in the past.

Coastal erosion has been marked out as major issue, with fears the island could eventually split in half.

Authorities have been working on ways to manage coastal erosion over the next century and have consulted the public.