Calls have been made for urgent action as part of a wall on the banks of the River Derwent in Workington has collapsed into the water.

Residents and councillors have raised fears that the access road in and out of Barepot, near Calva Bridge, will be affected if remedial work is not carried out quickly.

The wall is left over from a railway line which ran between the road and retaining wall.

Seaton Parish Councillors Danny Horsley and Joe Sandwith alerted police who taped off the area on Thursday evening. Cllr Horsley said: “About 25 metres has collapsed, if we had a persistent rain it could come down causing serious damage. The wall has stood its time, but it is collapsing now. Our concern is if nothing is done quickly and we do have a spell of serious weather it will eat into the bank, affecting the road and that is the only way in and out of Barepot, leaving people vulnerable.”

Amanda Wallace, from Workington Flood Action Team, said that she had contacted the relevant organisations on Thursday night expressing concern about the dangers to people walking by the river and Allerdale Council and Workington Town Council responded immediately. Allerdale council had told her that a meeting will be needed to see what measures will need to take place as there are a number of organisations involved.

Ms Wallace said: “We have one road access and temporary and permanent measures will be put in place to prevent further erosion but the road will be at risk. There are restrictions to working in the river and my concern is if measures are put in place to protect the riverbank, there is still a threat to the road. The river is at low flow now, if a storm comes in with rapid flow the weakened bank will start eroding and will affect the road. Where the wall has come away with erosion, water will get into the section putting the bank at risk, and that’s the only thing between the river and road.”

There is now a cordon with Harris fencing preventing people from walking near the section of wall from both ends and the council are asking people to avoid the area while assessments are made.

A spokesman for the council said: “The former railway land is owned by Allerdale Borough Council and we responded immediately. We have secured the area with temporary fencing and officers have been on site assessing the situation. We will now be liaising with the Environment Agency and other partners on the next steps."

It is almost a decade since the area was devastated by floods in 2009 when water swept through the hamlet of Barepot and residents had to be evacuated.