Cumbria will receive £1,167,000 from an emergency active travel grant to fast-track plans for new walking and cycling lanes.

The cash will be used on projects to make roads safer for pedestrians and cyclists.

The area has been allocated its share of the £250 million pot.

This includes £25 million which will fund vouchers for cycle repairs, to encourage people to get their old bikes out of the shed and resume cycling.

Following unprecedented levels of walking and cycling across the country during the pandemic, these plans will help encourage more people to choose alternatives to public transport when they need to travel, making healthier habits easier and helping make sure the road, bus and rail networks are ready to respond to future increases in demand.

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said: “During this crisis, millions of people have discovered cycling - whether for exercise or as a means of safe, socially-distanced transport. When the country does get back to work, we need those people to stay on their bikes and be joined by many more. Otherwise, with public transport’s capacity severely restricted at this time, our trains and buses could become overcrowded and our roads gridlocked – holding up emergency services, critical workers and vital supplies."