Residents on a street in Carlisle have serious safety concerns after heat and rain left a stretch of the road strewn with cracks and craters.

Colin Chester says the damage on Gillford Crescent in Harraby resulted in a surface that was "an accident waiting to happen" .

Mr Chester, 40, took his concerns to Cumbria County Council, who inspected the road.

Barriers have been put in place but Mr Chester is still concerned about safety.

He said: "My main worry is that a child is going to get hit by a car or van.

"The barriers don't have lights around them."

He said a vehicle could lose control.

The road is close to Petteril Bank Community School and is used by catering vans and buses.

Mr Chester, who has lived on the street for four years, said: "It's on the edge of the No.60 bus route as well.

"It's close to a junction and it's just an accident waiting to happen.

"There are quite a few children living on our street who play out when they get home from school.

"It just takes one vehicle to clip it and any child near by could be wiped out."

Mr Chester, who is a full time carer for his wife Kathleen, says the damage inside the cordon drops to about three to four inches deep.

"I don't know how it started but that area of the street is susceptible to flooding," he said.

"It looks like it may have been repaired badly in the past."

A spokesman for Cumbria County Council said: "We attended the scene within an hour of receiving a call and found there was a defect in the carriageway.

"A section of the highway drainage has collapsed because of the heavy rain and really hot temperatures. As a result of that the road has been weakened.

"We closed a section of the road while we undertake repairs.

"These should be completed within a week - weather permitting."