Traffic chaos looks set following the closure of two main roads in Whitehaven at the start of the summer holidays.

Hensingham Main Street will be shut from 6am on Monday, July 25, for five days, followed by the closure of Cleator Moor Road on Monday, August 1 for five days.

Cumbria County Council will be carrying out resurfacing work, totally £185,000, along the mile-long stretch of the B5295.

Copeland Pool and Fitness Centre, which is on Cleator Moor Road, said it will remain open but asked users to set off early in case of tailbacks.

Around 500 people a week use the pool for lessons and general sessions. The school summer holidays are one of their busiest times.

Councillor Keith Little, Cumbria County Council Cabinet member for Highways, said the resurfacing works had been timed to take place during the summer holiday period to minimise disruption.

"We will be working hard with our contractor to get the job done as soon as possible but there will inevitably be some disruption and we would advise drivers to plan ahead and allow extra time for journeys,'' he said.

Highways England is also carrying out overnight resurfacing work, totalling £150,000, between Parton and Pelican Garage starting today (thurs), followed by work between Bigrigg and West Lakes Science Park.

The scheme near Parton will take around a week, with temporary traffic lights in place between 8pm and 6am, and a 40mph speed limit in place past the road works.

A week-long scheme around West Lakes Science Park will follow immediately after with the same overnight restrictions.

And on Monday, a decision to allow hundreds of workers to use an emergency exit at Westlakes Science Park caused "widespread traffic chaos".

Two sets of roadworks on the A595 close to the park's main entrance prompted site bosses to take the almost unprecedented decision to allow motorists to use the emergency gate at back of the complex.

The volume of cars using the gate - to leave work on Monday and to arrive on Tuesday - was said to have caused "gridlock" in nearby Moor Row, Padstow, Cleator Moor, Hensingham and into parts of Whitehaven town centre.

A BEC spokeswoman said: "The last time we had significant works this close to the park entrance, we had people trapped on site in their cars for up to two hours, unable to exit. This is not simply an inconvenience, but a dangerous situation.

"We will be speaking with those that manage the roadworks in future to see if better roadwork planning can avoid situations like this.''