Drivers reached boiling point this week after hundreds were caught up in queues of traffic in Kendal town centre as the first stage of works to pedestrianise Stricklandgate continued.

The queues snaked along Stricklandgate, Windermere Road and Sandes Avenue causing long delays as motorists attempted to get through the town at peak times.

Work on Blackhall Road, which has been closed to southbound traffic, is scheduled to end today, Friday, although a slight delay may mean contractors continue into the weekend.

Nick Raymond, South Lakeland area engineer, said: "Drivers have continued to use the route they are used to and haven't chosen to take Lowther Street instead of travelling down Stricklandgate.

"When combined with the works on Blackhall Road this has resulted in long queues at the junction of Stricklandgate and Sandes Avenue, as the traffic signals there are not designed to cope with the sheer volume of traffic.

"The temporary signals on Windermere Road were operated manually at peak times to reduce queues as far as possible."

Cumbria Contract Services, the county council's in-house team, will next week begin alterations to Stricklandgate.

The work will take place in four phases - each a week long - beginning at the town hall end of the street and scheduled to be completed by March 20.

For safety reasons it is expected one lane will be closed to traffic while the work is undertaken.

Alterations will be made to the kerb of the current footway including the removal of the build-out in front of Woolworths.

The pedestrian crossing signals at the junction of Finkle Street will be adjusted for the reversal of traffic flow while several pinch points which will reinforce the message to drivers to keep speed down will be installed along the mid-stretch of the road.

The last phase of work will include the construction of a chicane at the junction of Library Road to direct traffic, arriving from the direction of Windermere Road, right.

Delivery drivers, cyclists and blue badge holders will then have to indicate left to continue along Stricklandgate.

Mr Raymond continued: "We are producing plans which will show people how they can get to their preferred parking spot for work or shopping once the new scheme is in place.

"Should the scheme prove unsuccessful the alterations could be reversed but we are confident we can create a pedestrian zone in Kendal while also handling the flow of traffic."