The A591 has been officially reopened. 

The road, which connects the north and south of the Lake District, was one of the major casualties of Storm Desmond when a landslip tore away a huge section of the route.

Where a huge hole once laid is now a brand new specially-reinforced highway which has reunited the Cumbria/

To get the road open and attempt to future-proof it has cost around £4 million, which has been funded through Government grants to Highways England.

Following weeks of work, at 8.30am, cars and vans were allowed to use the stretch of road again, marking one of the most significant moments in Cumbria's fightback from December's floods.

Stewart Young, leader of Cumbria County Council, said: "I’m delighted that with the weather finally improving local residents and visitors to the county will now be able to travel easily between the north and south of the Lake District.

"The floods caused a huge amount of damage to the county’s infrastructure and this unique collaborative effort between local and central government has allowed us to focus our efforts on the many other major repair tasks we’ve had to deal with.

“It’s important to recognise the wide range of organisations that have played a critical role in getting us to this point, not least the county council highways teams who did a phenomenal job clearing tens of thousands of tonnes of debris and carrying out technical surveys and investigatory work.

"This prepared the ground for Highways England who came on board in January and have done an outstanding job to deliver the repairs.

"Thanks should also go to United Utilities who have done a huge amount on the hillside, Kier Construction and other contractors who have carried out the works and Stagecoach who have operated the successful shuttle bus using the temporary road we opened in February."

The road was officially reopened by Floods Minister Rory Stewart and a coachload of pupils from Grasmere Primary School, one of the groups who had to find alternative roads for months.

The road and wall have also been reinforced to make it more flood-resilient.