Residents slammed action taken by Cumbria County Council over a decision to change the road layout on Water Street in Wigton.

A new housing development off Water Street in Wigton is set to have more than 100 homes built on the land when it is finished, comprising mixed tenure properties for the open market, for affordable sale and rent.

The route leaving the estate will lead directly on to Water Street, where there are three schools and is already a very busy road.

Worried now that the traffic priority has been changed at the junction is Sandra Hodson, a member of the Wigton Residents Group who also sits on the town council.

She said: “ I have never known a housing estate take priority over a main road. I have had a number of complaints about the change – they should have a ‘give way’ sign.”

After a number of complaints about the changes Cumbria County Council held a meeting last Thursday to discuss the changes and what the impact would be.

A spokesman for the council said: “The safety of road users is the top priority for all highway schemes, and upon the completion of a scheme such as this, a road safety audit is completed to ensure that the new road layout is operating in a safe and efficient manner.

“No concerns were identified with the new junction layout at Water Street prior to opening, and there have been no reports of any accidents to date.

“In time, we anticipate the changes installed will help to reduce the speed of traffic and improve road safety in the area, however we understand that in the short term any changes to the road network can take a period of adjustment for local road users who are familiar with the existing layout.

“We have also installed new signage which provides all road users with advance warning notice of the amended road layout and the change in traffic priority.

“This also prevents ‘rat running’ along Water Street, which has been noted as a problem previously.”