THE effect of Brexit on Cleator Moor is unclear, according to councillors at a recent public meeting.

Councillor Richard Wood wanted to put the item on the agenda to see what possible repercussions there could be for the town in the wake of the referendum.

Bob Metcalfe, Regen North East Copeland (RNEC), who was speaking at the meeting said that there were no projects in the town that are currently relying on European Union money.

Copeland councillor, Hugh Branney, who was also at the meeting said the effects of leaving the European Union on Cleator Moor are unclear.

He said: "I think it is not just an issue of direct funding from the European Union that people around here will notice - there is also the issues of employment rights and the environmental protection which are important to people's lives.

"But, for the time being, we just do not know what the effects will be and we will probably will not know for a very long time."

Mr Metcalfe pointed to schemes which have benefited the town such as the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) which he said dishes out cash to areas like Cleator Moor "on the periphery of the country".

The ERDF focuses on promoting innovation and research, the digital economy, supporting small and medium-sized enterprises and promoting a low-carbon economy.

He said that European Union funding also benefited West Cumbria as a whole and other areas which are "less well-off" as a whole.

He said: "The government has never given money to an area like this in the past, so I don't see why they would start giving us money now.

"Maybe some cities in the north like Manchester and Liverpool receive funding, but they have political clout. But maybe I am being cynical."