The traditional Labour seat was held up as a bellwether constituency for the general election.

News and Star
Newspaper

Traffic chaos hit Workington this morning after one of the main roads in the town was closed, external by police.

Image source, News and Star

A pub in Sedbergh is offering a group of veterans, some of whom have suffered mental health problems, a free stay at Christmas for them and their families.

The number of recorded crimes in Cumbria has risen by 12% in the past year, but the county remains one of the safest in England and Wales, according to the Police and Crime Commissioner Peter McCall.

Image source, PCC

The new figures were presented at a public accountability conference, which also heard that reports of anti-social behaviour were down by 4% partly because some were being reclassified as crimes, and that the force had been graded as "good" in all areas by inspectors, external.

The report said the Cumbria control room took more than 362,400 calls in the 12 months to November.

Firefighters say they cut one person free from the wreckage after two cars collided on Allenwood Road, in Heads Nook, near Brampton.

It's not thought anyone was seriously hurt in the crash, which involved a Vauxhall Astra and a Nissan Micra, just before noon yesterday.

Local Democracy Reporting Service
Ellis Butcher

The closure of a much-loved Lake District care home has been put on ice until the new year.

Image source, Google

Last month The Abbey in Staveley near Kendal was ordered to shut by the county council’s ruling Labour and Liberal Democrat cabinet, which found that the 28-bed unit, which now has only four residents, was no longer "fit for purpose".

But three county councillors, Staveley’s Stan Collins, Jim Bland of the Lyth Valley and the Kent Estuary’s Pete McSweeney, all opposed the decision and won a "call in" which put the matter before the council’s scrutiny management board at a meeting yesterday.

The cross-party board heard representations from both sides of the debate and narrowly agreed, five votes to four, to send the matter back to the cabinet in January.

A historic Lake District view, described by the national park as iconic, external, has been opened up for the first time since the Victorian era.

Rangers, volunteers and specialist contractors have spent the last year removing hectares of rhododendron from Stanley Ghyll in Eskdale, external, giving a view of upper-Dalegarth Falls which won't have been enjoyed since the late 1800s.

The National Park, external says since the bushes were removed there has been a noticeable increase in birdlife in the ghyll and several rare lichen and native plant species will be able to thrive.

It is warning visitors to take care, though, pointing out that there are newly exposed drop-offs above the upper falls.

Image source, Lake District National Park

• Temperatures at 3,000ft (900m): 6C (43F)
• Winds: Southerly at 35mph to 40mph with gusts up to 50mph
• Cloud base: Variable, but generally extensive, but with some breaks above 2,000ft (600m) in the northwest fells
• Visibility: Poor in low cloud and rain early and late.
• Freezing level: Above fell tops

The temperature has risen sharply since the assessors for the Weatherline felltop conditions , externalcompiled their report.

They say conditions remain challenging, with strong winds creating deep drifts and fragile cornices, so full winter clothing and equipment are essential.

They say navigation into and off the top of Swirral Edge was particularly difficult yesterday and hazardous given the adjacent cornices, and good navigation skills are essential.

BBC Weather

Some early rain in the morning will clear to give a largely cloudy day, with more rain later and highest temperatures from 9C to 12C (48F to 54F).

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

BBC News Travel

Oxford Street in Workington has been closed in both directions because strong winds earlier in the week damaged the roof of a building between John Street and Morray Road.

And in Carlisle, Devonshire Walk has been closed between the two entrances to the Castle car park, because of a gas leak.

Local Democracy Reporting Service

A 'significant increase' in the number of people sleeping rough in South Lakeland will be investigated by the local council, with a report expected in the new year.

A full meeting of South Lakeland District Council, external was told that in contrast to increasing homelessness, the number of people owning second homes in the area is approaching four thousand.

The porfolio holder for health, wellbeing and financial resilience, Councillor Suzie Pye, a Liberal Democrat, also claimed figures from End Child Poverty, external show 23% of people in the area are living in poverty and referrals to the Kendal food bank, external have gone up 18% year on year.

She told councillors that tackling social inequality is "certainly a challenge".

Image source, Getty Images

Local Democracy Reporting Service

Cumbria's Liberal Democrats have ruled out abandoning their coalition with Labour on the county council.

The Independent mayor for Copeland, Mike Starkie, had urged Independent and Liberal Democrat councillors to form a new Conservative-led coalition to take advantage of last week's general election results.

He argued that a Conservative-led council would put the county at the "front of the queue" for government investment.

But the deputy leader of Cumbria County Council, Liberal Democrat Peter Thornton, says his group will honour its coalition with Labour.

Yesterday, the leader of Cumbria County Council, Labour's Stewart Young, responded with this tweet:

Whitehaven Academy will get a new school building and sports hall after years of concerns about its deteriorating state.

Councillors have approved plans for the new buildings, which will be paid for by the government.

The Cumbria Education Trust, external which took over the school last year has previously said that the run-down condition of the current buildings have been "detrimental and disruptive to teaching and learning".

The school had been due to be renovated under the Building Schools for the Future scheme before the fund was scrapped by the government in 2010.

The afternoon will be dry at first, becoming wet and windy later and into the evening. Highest temperatures from 5C to 8C (41F to 46F).

There is a yellow warning for wind from 14:00 today to 03:00 tomorrow.

Image source, BBC Weather

Councillor Mike Johnson is the new deputy leader of Allerdale Borough Council.

He takes over from Mark Jenkinson, who was elected MP for Workington at last week’s General Election.

Image source, Allerdale Borough Council

The sheeting was installed more than 20 years ago to protect it from contamination from mine works.

Some businesses are being allowed back to prepare for Christmas.

Listeners to BBC Radio Cumbria should be able to hear their favourite programmes on digital radio for the first time next December.

Ofcom, the communications regulator, has awarded two licences, external for Cumbria and Morecambe Bay.

One will cover Carlisle, Penrith, Workington, Whitehaven and Keswick. The other will cover Morecambe Bay including Ulverston, Kendal and Windermere.

Ofcom says it means listeners will be able to hear BBC Radio Cumbria as well as a "broad range" of new local digital radio stations on DAB.

The former leader of the Liberal Democrats, Tim Farron, has told the BBC he doubted his party's stance on Brexit in the run up to last week's general election.

In an interview with BBC Radio Cumbria, Mr Farron went on to say that by saying the party would revoke Article 50, his party "put more people off than it attracted".

Mr Farron was returned as the MP for Westmorland and Lonsdale in Thursday's election, making him the only MP in the county who is not a Conservative.