Light at the end of the tunnel

THERE is a renewed sense of optimism in Cockermouth following the reopening of the bridges and Main Street this week.

This was coupled with news that more businesses were returning to the Main Street and shows that slowly but surely that Cockermouth is returning to normality.

Even though there is still only around 20 per cent of the businesses open it seems that more people are beginning to return to Main Street and it is hoped that the Easter weekend will bring in a lot of tourists to the town.

Cockermouth was effectively split in three but now that Main Street and Market Place are connected again and people living on the north side of the River Derwent are able to travel over Gote Bridge again traffic around the town should be able to flow more easily and avoid the bottlenecks we have seen on Kirkgate and Lorton Street.

In addition the opening of Isel and Ouse bridges should make it easier for people to get around Cockermouth and the surrounding area including school busses which has been a real issue with pupils having to take long detours.

Even though everybody understands there is still a long way to go for Cockermouth to get back to where it used to be this week shows that the town is regaining some of its vibrancy.

The opening of the bridges and Main Street has put Cockermouth back in the media spotlight in a positive light and shows that the town is fighting back.

With Prince Charles visiting next week it should provide more positive news for Cockermouth and shows that the town is well and truly open for business.