We are increasingly optimistic that the tidal energy scheme incorporating road crossings of Morecambe Bay and the Duddon is viable.

Things have moved on apace since Chamber Insight first reported on the £10bn project last year.

Rob Johnston, Chief Executive of Cumbria Chamber of Commerce, said: “We’ve asked Transport for North to consider including the scheme in its strategic plan because we think the economic benefits could be enormous.

“It would slash journey times to Furness and Millom, provide another access to West Cumbria, generate green electricity, potentially alleviate flooding and cut the costs of connecting Moorside to the National Grid.

“It’s the sort of transformational scheme you see in other European countries but all too rarely in the UK. There’s a danger that we concentrate on small, incremental improvements rather than schemes of this scale that will make an impact on Cumbria for 100 years or more.”

In this podcast Alan Torevell, of Northern Tidal Power Gateways, provides an update on progress and reveals that the scheme could provide green energy that is cheaper than nuclear or offshore wind.