Local Democracy Reporting Service
Jason Rushworth

Some Cumbrian school children are having to use mobile phones to do their homework, a Cumbria County Council’s scrutiny committee meeting was told.

Image source, PA Media

County councillor Val Tarbitt, the chairwoman of the scrutiny advisory board for children and young people, thinks the first lockdown exposed the shortfalls: “I was disappointed to learn from the Ofsted report that there are too many disadvantaged children learning at home on mobile phones.

“If a child has only got a phone to access their distance learning, then this will never do."

Other members said they had used funds available to them, or charities, to make sure extra devices such as tablets were available for pupils who did not have their own.

Councillor Mark Wilson, who represents Ulverston, said he had seen a take up in computers being bought for children by a number of organisations wanting to help.

• Temperature at 3,000ft (900m): 8C to 10C (46F to 50F)

• Winds: Strong south-westerly with 55mph gusts likely on eastern fells, and 40mph gusts along western fells

• Cloud: Extensive cover with bases generally between 1,300ft and 2,000ft (400m to 600m) for much of the day, becoming even lower where the cloud is thick enough to produce some light rain or drizzle

• Weather: An overcast but mostly dry day although there may be light rain or drizzle where the cloud is thick enough

• Visibility: Generally good below 1,300ft (400m), but poor above this, with widespread hill fog

Cumbria's GPs say they can see patients who need attention, but they've repeated calls for people to seek help from other sources, such as the local pharmacy or NHS 111, for what seem like less serious ailments.

Dr David Wrigley, the vice chairman of the British Medical Association, is also a GP in Milnthorpe and Carnforth, where he says the pressures of working at the time of coronavirus have meant they are even busier than usual.

Image source, Getty Images

Dr Wrigley says that while local GPs will see patients who need a face-to-face consultation, most contact is by telephone or video, to avoid the risk of infection.

Infections are "relatively small" but all students should be tested, health bosses say.

BBC Weather

Largely overcast with little in the way of brightness.

The morning should be largely dry but there will be some patchy, light rain in the afternoon.

Unseasonably mild with fresh south-westerly winds, and temperatures of 14C (57F).

You can follow the latest BBC Weather forecast where you live, by searching for your location here

BBC Weather

It will be mainly cloudy with showers or spells of rain, heavy at times in the evening tapering off overnight to the chance of some patchy drizzly rain.

Through the night it will be windy and mild with lowest temperatures from 6C to 9C (43F to 48F) early, and rising into the small hours.

You can always find the detailed BBC weather forecast for where you are by typing in your postcode or location here.

Barrow is to get £886,000 to spend on better facilities for cyclists and pedestrians, while Kendal has missed out on a grant of £700,000.

The money was to make permanent facilities which were installed temporarily during the lockdown.

The project in Barrow is on Michaelson Road and Bridge Road, both key commuter routes into the heart of the BAE shipyard.

Cumbria County Council had asked for enough money to fund both projects, but was only given enough for the Barrow scheme.

A request for a mass testing coronavirus programme for people in Sedbergh, after an outbreak at the local public school meant one of the board houses sent most of the boys who stay there home, has been turned down.

Image source, Google

The area's MP, Tim Farron, and local councillors had called for the testing because of fears about the outbreak spreading into the community.

But after a meeting this afternoon, officials working with the county's director of public health said there was no evidence of spread into the community, with only four cases locally in the past fortnight, and staff from the school were being tested anyway.

The county's public health staff are already involved in the testing of the remaining pupils and staff at the school, which has more than 550 pupils.

It's hoped that more victims of rape and sexual assault will come forward in Cumbria, because of a new film which explains the forensic examinations that are needed to gather essential DNA evidence.

The County's Sexual Assault Referral Centre, the Bridgeway in Penrith, has put together a film to show to victims, before they undergo the procedure.

Image source, Getty Images

Aimee, who is 20, is a survivor of sexual assault and she told the BBC the process was an overwhelming experience because she didn't know what was expected of her.

BBC Cumbria Sport

Barrow manager David Dunn says asking his team to play three games in six days calls into question the integrity of League Two and the FA Cup.

His side will have to play Saturday, Tuesday and Thursday next week because of the rescheduling of their postponed FA Cup tie against Wimbledon.

The Barrow boss says that means he simply WON'T be able to put out his strongest team as a consequence.

BBC Weather

Today will continue mainly cloudy, windy and mild with a chance of a few showers in the early afternoon and rain developing from the west later.

Highest temperatures will be from 9C to 12C (48F to 54F).

You can always find the latest, hour-by-hour, BBC weather forecast for where you are, by searching for your location here.

Around 2.5k (1.6 miles) of new pipes have been laid in the first such major repair to the Haweswater Aqueduct near Kendal since it was built 65 years ago as a huge "plumbing job"

Image source, United Utilities

The water company United Utilities, says 180 engineers worked for eight days at Hallbank, near Kendal, to install four new pipes at the aqueduct, which provides a third of the water supply for the North West.

It was only the third time in its history that the pipeline has been drained, and the project director John Hilton, who has been there every time says this was the most difficult.

• Temperature at 3,000ft (900m): 2C to 4C (36F to 39F)
• Winds: Gale force westerly to southwesterly, with 40mph to 50mph gusts likely in the morning and afternoon, up to 60mph on the eastern fells
• Cloud: Bases generally above 2,000ft (600m) for much of the day, but dropping to 1,000ft (300m) with any early morning showers, or late evening rain
• Weather: Blustery showers early this morning, possibly wintry on the hills or summits, turning drier and brighter later in the morning, but a significant chill factor with the brisk south-westerly winds, then becoming cloudier and wet towards the evening, but less chilly
• Visibility: Generally good, but poor in any early morning showers and becoming poor later in the evening
• Freezing level: Close to the top of the summits at first, above summits this afternoon.

Coronavirus figures for Cumbria suggest that the lockdown may be having a positive impact, according to Cumbria's Director of Public Health, Colin Cox.

Last week, Carlisle had 293 new cases, the highest number in the county for the third week in a row, but Dr Cox says he's not as worried as he was about the city, or Copeland and Allerdale.

His weekly report showed, external 999 new cases across the county as a whole, but declines in Barrow and South Lakeland.

Bringing you the latest news, travel and weather from across Cumbria from Monday 16 November to Friday 20 November, 2020.

BBC Weather

Today will be mainly cloudy windy and mild with a few showers or spots of rain mainly in the morning. Rain develops from the west late.

Temperatures reaching 10C (50F).

This evening looks mainly cloudy with showers or spells of rain, heavy at times tapering off overnight.

And you can find out more about what the weather is like where you are here

Eroded mortar and broken stones on the Ribblehead Viaduct, which opened in 1875, will be repaired.

The eye-watering cost of delivering a fibre network to rural areas.

Cheltenham got back to winning ways on the road with a win at Carlisle.

Barrow score six minutes into added time to draw and stop Cambridge moving top of League Two.