Fans of the writer Arthur Ransome from all over the UK and abroad settled in for a marathon reading of the Swallows and Amazons story, Pigeon Post, at the weekend.

Image source, Caitlin Routledge

The story, one of the sequels to the best-known yarn of youngsters having adventures in the Lake District, is set in the old coppermines above Coniston, and the story was read in the youth hostel in Coppermines valley after heavy rain stopped the event happening outside.

Readers including artist Jessica Elleray, wildlife writer Amy Jane Beer, ultra-runner Jen Scotney, photographer Jon Sparks and BBC reporter Emily Unia each read a chapter.

Local Democracy Reporting Service
John Connell

Copeland's MP and mayor have both rounded on the Westmorland and Lonsdale MP Tim Farron, after the Liberal Democrat member criticised plans for a coal mine at Whitehaven.

The MP has said planning permission for the coking coal mine on the Marchon site should be cancelled because of the resulting carbon emissions, but the Conservative MP Trudy Harrison said he was jeopardising the region's future prosperity.

The Mayor Mike Starkie said coking coal was essential for steelmaking.

He said: "The sooner a General Election comes and this man is voted out of Parliament the better."

Mr Farron said the threat of climate change meant fossil fuel extraction should stop.

He said: "It’s no use saying ‘Yeah we’ll stop digging up coal next year or the year after that or the year after that’."

Image source, West Cumbria Mining

The family of a man who died in an accident on Scafell Pike have helped raise the money to fill in a "radio blackspot" for the local mountain rescue team.

Image source, Wasdale MRT

A black box in a building at the head of Eskdale is now powering a repeater station for the Wasdale mountain rescue team's network in the area, where communications have been a problem for many years.

Installing it cost £2,500, and the team says a major contribution came from the family and friends of Chris Brown, whose body was found on the Eskdale side of Scafell Pike in June.

BBC Weather

This afternoon will be rather cloudy, with rain pushing in from the south west later on.

Highest temperatures will be from 1C2 to 15C (54F to 59F).

You can always find the latest BBC weather forecast for where you are, here.

Katy Booth
Reporter, BBC Cumbria

Heavy rain over the weekend has left roads affected by minor flooding and a zoo closing half its site because of high water.

The area most affected is around Milnthorpe, on the Lancashire border, and the Lakeland Wildlife Oasis had to close some of its outdoors areas (pictured below) because water came in from surrounding fields.

Staff at the Oasis said they were charging visitors half price until the water subsided, and although flooding has always been a regular occurrence it was becoming more frequent and the risk had been taken into account as the zoo developed.

A Carlisle cannabis dealer whose crime emerged after police arrested him for a burglary has been sentenced after what a prosecutor called an "unforgivable delay" in bringing the case to court.

Leighton John Lewis had been detained on suspicion of burgling a Petteril Street property with another man on 31 October last year.

When 26-year-old Lewis' home in Lediard Avenue was searched, police recovered cannabis potentially worth about £200, a 16-page debtors' list and a mobile phone.

The court heard that although Lewis was jailed last February for the burglary, it was another seven months before he was brought to court for the drugs offence uncovered on the same day, to which he pleaded guilty.

Judge James Adkin said there would have been little difference to Lewis' original prison sentence had the burglary and cannabis supply offences been dealt with together and imposed a community order comprising 100 hours' unpaid work.

The family started making the tools in the 1890s and four generations have kept the tradition alive.

Rain has compensations in the Lake District, like big rainbows, and Chris Avery kindly sent us a picture of this one over Esthwaite Water, which he says was "too big for the camera".

Image source, Chris Avery

If you've got taken a photo that you you think the rest of Cumbria might like to see, let us know by sending us an email or on Twitter, external.

A 60-year old Cumbrian woman has succeeded in running the length of Britain and she has claimed a new record as the oldest woman to do so.

Image source, Angela White

Angela White from Kendal, who calls herself the Running Granny, challenged herself to run more than 800 miles (1,287km) from John O'Groats to Lands End.

She arrived at the end of Cornwall yesterday, 18 days, 10 hours and three minutes, after leaving the northern extremity of Scotland.

• Temperatures at 3,000ft (900m): 8C to 10C (46F to 50F)
• Winds: Westerly at first, but turning southerly, then easterly through the afternoon, 10mph to 15mph with gusts to 25mph for much of the day. Later in the afternoon, speeds will be closer to 20mph to 25mph with gusts to 35mph
• Cloud: Widespread low cloud at first, with bases around 650ft to 1,300ft (200m - 400m), lifting through the day to around 2,300ft to 2,600ft (700m to 800m)
• Visibility: Poor on the summits for much of the day, becoming moderate to good for a spell in the afternoon

BBC Weather

This morning will have sunny spells and scattered showers, with highest temperatures from 12C to 15C (54F to 59F).

You can always find the latest BBC weather forecast for where you are, here.

A bridge inspection is being carried out at Longtown, north of Carlisle, this morning.

A retaining wall on one side of the structure on the A7 collapsed on Saturday.

Traffic can still cross the bridge but temporary traffic lights are in place.

Cumbria's tourism industry will have to be allowed to recruit from around the world after Britain leaves the EU, a leading hotelier has said.

The business is worth £3bn a year to the county and over the past couple of decades has come to depend on workers from eastern Europe, but this workforce will lose its freedom of movement to Britain after Brexit.

Image source, Google

The president of Cumbria Tourism, Eric Robson, says some businesses could even go to the wall, but Jonathan Denby, who owns a number of hotels in South Lakeland incuding the Damson Dene (pictured), says he believes firms will instead be able to go back to recruiting from around the world, as they always did in previous decades.

However, he says government plans to let migrants in only if they have already been offered a job paying at least £30,000 will have to be relaxed.

Martin Lewes
Reporter

We'll be posting the news, a regular weather forecast, and other useful items from around the county through the day.

If you've got news you think we should know, or photos that you you think the rest of Cumbria might like to see, let us know by sending us an email, getting in touch on Facebook, external, or on Twitter, external.