An 84-year-old woman has been left unhappy in her home of almost 50 years after a thief stole her handbag, a court has heard.

Josh John Nicholson, 24, went to the woman's home in Workington and told her his mother had died, then stole her bag while she was distracted.

He used the £70 cash inside to buy milkshakes and top-up cards, Carlisle Crown Court heard.

Nicholson was jailed for 21 months after admitting burglary and theft.

Prosecutor Brendan Burke said the pensioner had spoken of her distress and is no longer happy being at a house in which she'd lived for almost half a century and sought medical advice from her doctor.

Nicholson stole the bag on 8 November, four days after he was caught trying to burgle another house in Workington. He was caught in the act by the homeowners after they were alerted to suspicious noises and found him downstairs just before midnight.

Nicholson, of Mona Road, Salterbeck, Workington, was described as being "mortified" by his actions.

He was also banned from contacting the victims and visiting their addresses for five years.

Image source, Google

Lakeland Wildlife Oasis brought in a new male after its resident pair failed to produce offspring.

• Temperature at 3000ft: 3C to 6C (37F to 43F).
• Winds: A gentle to moderate south-easterly breeze this morning with gusts up to 25mph. Light and variable winds in the afternoon with gusts nearer 15mph.
• Cloud: Extensive low cloud and hill fog through the day with a base of around 1000ft (300m).
• Weather: Mostly cloudy and dull with scattered showers.
• Visibility: Poor throughout over hills and locally poor in the valleys.

Image source, Fell Top Assessors

Picture from the top of Helvellyn showing rime ice feathers forming on the summit shelter. It was taken by Zac one of the fell top assessors,who points out you can see the summit cairn lurking in the gloom behind.

Plans to create the largest native tree and wildflower nursery in the Lake District have been given the go-ahead.

Image source, RSPB

The government has announced RSPB Haweswater will receive almost £250,000 to grow and plant 5,000 trees across the reserve by March 2022.

The project will create new four new jobs and will help to restore upland habitats.

Once established, the RSPB says the nursery will generate 15,000 trees and wildflower plugs per year, including species like juniper, globeflower and downy willow.

A breeding project's been launched to help boost numbers of a species of wading bird.

The curlew is under threat as its UK breeding population fell by almost half between 1994 and 2010, the RSPB said.

The project will be supported by a £221,000 grant from the government's Green Recovery Challenge Fund.

The charity will work with landowners to help improve conservation and the habitat for about 300 breeding pairs of curlews around Geltsdale and the Forest of Bowland in Lancashire.

The project will also benefit other threatened species including lapwing, redshank and snipe.

About 50 local volunteers will be trained to help monitor the curlew during breeding season.

Image source, Getty Images

• Temperature at 3000 ft: 2C (36F).

• Winds: A gentle to moderate south-easterly breeze, gusting to 25 mph, but up to 35mph locally, possible 40mph.

• Cloud: Overcast clouds around 3000ft to 4000ft (900m to 1200m) throughout the day. Broken cloud layers at 1000ft to 1800ft (300m to 500m) will drift in at times.

• Weather: Cloudy and dull, with outbreaks of light rain and drizzle.

• Visibility: Poor with mist and fog in many areas

Image source, Fell Top Assessors

Stunning photo descending Swirral Edge where there is more snow than Striding Edge. It was taken by Jo, one of the Fell Top assessors, who says the conditions are mixed with more ice and harder snow, mainly above 2788ft (850m) and especially above 2952ft (900m).

Carlisle United director of football David Holdsworth is fined £750 by the Football Association after accepting a misconduct charge.

Ingrid Messenger was killed in a crash caused by Tony Packenham near Carlisle in February 2019.

The government wants to reduce the number of local authorities in order to save money.

A school in Cumbria films an alternative nativity - the story of Mary and Joseph in a pandemic.

The annual festive displays have raised £20,000 for the NSPCC and is also to thank the NHS and key workers.

Two walkers who became disorientated in the snow climbing Scafell Pike have been rescued in an operation lasting seven hours.

The couple found themselves in difficult ground around the Piers Gill area on Friday and called police for help.

Image source, Wasdale MRT

Members of Wasdale Mountain Rescue team found the pair huddled up together in a survival bag to keep warm.

With temperatures below zero, they were given warm clothing and high-calorie food before being escorted down to the valley floor.

Wasdale mountain rescuers say hypothermia is a killer, and are advising anyone planning hill walks to make sure they carry the right equipment.

Image source, Wasdale MRT

Agnes Hardy says she felt "honoured" to be the first patient at West Cumberland Infirmary.

Ryan Anderson had 724 images, including 149 in the most serious category, on his phone, a court hears.

Ewan Murrie
Reporter

A new investment plan for Kendal looks likely to be approved by South Lakeland District Council.

Officials have recommended the council's cabinet approves plans to invest more than £500,000 in the area over three years.

The Kendal Town Centre Strategy and Vision aims to build affordable homes and modify unused space.

In addition, if approved it's hoped the strategy could also attract investment from the private sector.

Image source, Google

• Temperature at 3000 ft: 0c to 1C (32F to 34F)

• Wind: West to north-westerly gusting 25 mph at times.
• Cloud: Cloud bases will generally reside below the summits at 1000ft to 2000ft (300m to 600m) with cloudy skies for most. These cloud bases will lift above the summits by the evening.
• Weather: Cloudy with blustery showers or outbreaks of rain at times. The rain and wind will generally ease towards the evening. Rain could be sleety near summits at times, especially in the morning.
• Visibility: Poor visibility throughout the day with low cloud cover.

During lockdown the mountaineer raised money for Nepal's poor by climbing up and down his stairs.

Local Democracy Reporting Service
Jason Rushworth

There have been fresh calls to look into the possibility of a second bridge connecting Barrow to Walney.

At a Cumbria County Council meeting the Mayor of Barrow, Councillor Kevin Hamilton, said Jubilee Bridge, which is the longest in the county, will not be “fit for purpose” soon.

He said: “Other areas of the county are getting infrastructure investment but not Walney Island.”

Angela Jones, the executive director for the economy and infrastructure, said she understood that the bridge was a key asset to the town.

She said: “We need to secure funding from government for any new strategic infrastructure.”

Work on the county council’s £4.5m essential maintenance programme on Jubilee Bridge resumed last year involving repairs to steelwork and concrete as well as repainting the bridge.

The council said the essential maintenance would extend the life of the bridge by many years.

The first doses of the Covid-19 vaccination are arriving in Cumbria today.

The West Cumberland Hospital in Whitehaven is one of about 50 in England that have been chosen as hubs to start immunising people from tomorrow.

Image source, Google

Frontline health staff, people over the age of 80 and care home workers will be first to get the vaccine.

Cumbria's director of public health, Colin Cox says at the moment the vaccine has to be stored in hospitals because of the temperature required, but work is under way to get to to as many sites as possible.

• NHS England medical director Prof Stephen Powis warned the distribution of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine would be a "marathon not a sprint". It will take "many months" to vaccinate everybody who needs it, he said.

The Home Office says the 15m-high mast will plug gaps in 999 communication coverage.