Stories from Cumbria you may have missed this week

A conservationist is campaigning to get the Lake District's world heritage status revoked, claiming too many tourists are damaging the land

Union members at the Sellafield nuclear site are to be balloted for strike action, firefighters were called to rescue sheep from a roof and a plea to drop the Lake District's heritage title.

Here are five stories from Cumbria you may have missed this week.

Firefighters 'baa-ffled' by sheep on roof

Firefighters said they had been called to many animal rescues but never to sheep on a roof

A sheep and three lambs were rescued from the roof of a house after they escaped from a field and tried to avoid being caught by police.

Penrith Fire Station manager Darren Wright said he and his crew were "baffled" when they arrived at the two-storey property in Graham Street and were greeted by the sight of the animals up high.

With the assistance of a local farmer, ladders and reaching poles, they managed to bring them down to safety and return them to a field.

• Read about the rescue here

'I know it's terminal but I don't feel ill'

Rebeca Proctor was diagnosed with stage 4 non-small-cell lung cancer in January

A woman who was diagnosed with terminal cancer has praised the blood test which allowed her to get treatment sooner.

Rebeca Proctor, 41, from Carlisle, was diagnosed with stage 4 non-small-cell lung cancer in January.

At the time she was part of a pilot study looking at whether a blood test could be used to determine the genetic variant of a cancer quicker than a typical biopsy.

• Read more about the blood test here

Rural welfare hub to keep girls safe on nights out

Sgt Becky Hunter says the night-time economy in Bowness is "buoyant"

A welfare hub in a rural holiday hotspot will open throughout the summer in a bid to keep women and girls safe.

Cumbria Police runs the facility at Bowness, in the Lake District, on Saturday evenings, which have become busy nights for locals and visitors.

"It's not about frightening people, but we want to get that early message out to look out for each other, don't get separated from friends, be alert to the fact that spiking might happen," Sgt Becky Hunter said.

• Read about why the initiative is being introduced in Bowness here

Plea to drop 'abused' Lake District heritage title

Lee Schofield believes the Lake District needs a rest to recover from "over-tourism"

A conservationist is campaigning to get the Lake District's world heritage status revoked, claiming too many tourists are damaging the land.

Ecologist Lee Schofield, who owns farmland near Haweswater, has written to Unesco saying the area is being "abused" by increased tourism, second-home ownership and unsustainable sheep farming.

Tim Farron, Liberal Democrat MP for Westmorland and Lonsdale, said losing the status would be a "hammer blow" to tourism and farming.

• Read more about how tourism has impacted the Lake District here

Sellafield pay row prompts worker ballot

About 1,500 workers for 36 contractors are being balloted

Union members at the Sellafield nuclear site are to be balloted for strike action in a long-running dispute over specialised pay.

Unite has accused contractors at the Cumbria plant of refusing requests for "site specific allowances" relating to those working on advanced technologies projects.

Sellafield Ltd said it did not directly employ those affected but "safety and security" would be its priority.

• Read more about the long-running dispute here