Alongside the hedgehog the badger ranks among the cuddliest critters in the British countryside.

But the name of this loveable black and white creature is mud in one part of Copeland where it has caused a £50,000 headache for highways engineers – less a question of adorability than affordability.

The U4279 Birkby Road near Muncaster has been closed since December 2017 after a sink hole was reported near to Linbeck, with further investigation revealing the collapse was down to badgers digging under the road.

The same stretch of road has been hit several times over the years by the same problem, prompting structural experts and conservation groups to come up with a novel solution.

A county council spokesman said:   “There have been several circumstances of this on the same stretch of road over many years due to the presence of extremely sandy ground, but the most recent event has revealed significant activity in the badger sett at this location.

“Highways staff have taken the opportunity to look at a different method of repair which will see the road repaired and made more resilient to future badger activity whilst complying with all legal aspects in relation to badgers as set out by Natural England. Work has had to be scheduled between October and March to avoid any impact on the breeding season.”

Cumbria County Council has engaged an ecologist to advise on the current state of the sett, scrutinise scheme design and agree licence requirements with Natural England.

Repairs have commenced this week and will see a five-week programme of works which ultimately will see a new reinforced concrete road surface installed over the existing carriageway. This will minimise any disruption to the existing live sett, and will also mean that any future underground activity will not impact on the new road surface.

This method of repair has already attracted interest from Natural England in dealing with carriageway disturbance caused by badgers, who are currently looking at a similar problem in the Cheshire area and are keen to use similar repair methods.

The top tier authority has previously built tunnels for the badgers, using pipes to provide a way through, but this time Natural England advised workers not to disturb the sett and to reinforce the surrounding road instead.