Work to knock down the Central Plaza Hotel in Carlisle has progressed more quickly than expected, according to the city council, and there is now a large gap where the derelict Victorian building, shrouded in scaffolding, used to stand.

It means staff at the nearby Tesco store can start re-stocking the shelves in the hope of reopening as soon as possible.

And the city council says it will let the county council know as soon as it is safe to reopen the Victoria Viaduct, a main road into the shopping area of Carlisle.

• Temperatures at 3,000ft (900m): 1C (34F)
• Winds: South-westerly winds becoming westerly, 20mph to 25mph with gusts to 35mph
• Cloud base: Generally 1,000ft to 1,600ft (300m to 500m)
• Freezing level: Just above the summits
• Visibility: Poor or moderate.

The assessors who compile the Weatherline reports from the top of Helvellyn, external say conditions are very challenging with a lot of blowing snow in strong winds, deep drifts hiding the paths and making walking hard work, a lot of ice on bare rock, and an avalanche risk on north and east-facing slopes.

Image source, LDNPA

Crampons, ice axe, goggles, and full winter clothing are all said to be essential above the snow line.

Sian Hall
BBC Radio Cumbria

Cumbria police are warning that drug driving is becoming as much of a problem as drink driving.

Image source, GMP

According to police figures given to the BBC, between January and October this year 426 roadside drug tests were carried out, of which 188 were positive.

In the same period two years ago there were 131 positive tests out of 311.

Cumbria Police says new kits, giving results for cannabis or cocaine in 10 minutes, are allowing them to test more people but officers such as Temp Sgt Jack Stabler believe the problem is getting worse.

BBC Weather

A few early fog patches may be slow to clear, but most areas will enjoy a fine but chilly start.

Through the day, sunny spells are expected, but the odd shower will drift down from the northwest later, with highest temperatures from 4C to 7C (39F to 45F).

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

BBC News Travel

Ice is affecting roads around the south of the county after the temperature dropped late in the night, and some higher routes, including the Honister and Wrynose passes are still closed from the weekend.

The ones reported to be particularly tricky are the A591 from Kendal through to Waterhead and the A684 from Black Horse Hill up to junction 37 on the M6, where a local bus has had problems according to local social media, but almost any road should be regarded with suspicion until the sun is up.

St Thomas's Church of England School in Kendal is closed tomorrow and on Wednesday because it has no heating. It will reopen on 19 December.

BBC Weather

Staying dry this evening with clear spells, although there could be more in the way of cloud in the early hours. Gentle southwesterly winds.

Minimum Temperature: -2 to 1C (28 to 34F).

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

The assessors who compile the fell top conditions report for the Weatherline service, external say the wind is "pummelling" the Lake District, building up big depths of fresh show on the ridges and leeward slopes of the mountains.

Their report says goggles are essential, along with crampons and ice axes, and the snow cornices and drifts on the steep eastern side of the fell are constantly forming and collapsing.

BBC News Travel

The Honister and Whinlatter Passes are both closed because of dangerous ice.

The webcam pictures show traffic is using the Kirkstone Pass but it is likely to become icy tonight, when it is not gritted for the safety of the workers driving the lorries.

You can read a list of the roads that are treated and in which priority here, external.

The train company Northern says a new timetable affecting some services has been performing "relatively well".

Image source, Northern

The company said that very few had actually seen changes as part of the new schedules, and most delays or cancellation were due to issues such as driver sickness.

The company's website, external did show some disruption, but Cumbria appeared to escape reasonably unscathed.

The Transpennine Express website did show rather more disruption but as with Northern, Cumbria was barely affected.

A woman from Penrith who's running to Mongolia has praised the kindness of the people she's met along the way.

Rosie Watson, 25, has already covered 1,500 miles in her challenge to raise awareness of climate change, and says there've been some magical moments, even though she is now running in snow, external much of the time.

Image source, Rosie Watson

A Carlisle drug dealer, who listed his stock of illegal substances on the back of a police search warrant, has been jailed for more than five years.

Image source, Cumbria Police

Three weeks after police with that warrant raided Nicky Lee Griffiths' Stonegarth home in Morton and found nothing, they returned to find a wrap of heroin floating in the toilet and more in the drains beyond.

At Carlisle Crown Court, Griffiths, 38, with a record of 159 previous crimes and a long-standing drug habit, admitted possessing both heroin and crack cocaine with intent to supply and acquiring criminal property.

Two previous class A drug trafficking offences on Griffiths' record triggered a mandatory minimum seven-year jail term, but Judge Julie Clemitson gave Griffiths a discount for his guilty pleas, and imposed a total prison sentence of five years and 219 days.

Britain may be due to be out of the EU in about six weeks but Cumbrian businesses are still worried because of uncertainties over the next step, according to the county's Chamber of Commerce.

Once the UK leaves the union, a trade deal will have to be negotiated by the end of 2020, although it is a process that normally takes several years.

Julian Whittle of the chamber says it is still not clear what will be in that trade agreement or if it can be completed in time.

Image source, Getty Images

A man has been charged following an incident in the Cumbrian village of Bootle on Friday night.

A 48-year-old man from Ecclefechan was charged with possession of an imitation firearm with intent to cause fear or violence.

There was a widespread search after the alarm was raised late on Friday night.

He was appearing at Workington's magistrates court this morning.

Richard Want from Penrith, visiting an elderly relative in Epsom, Surrey, saw an envelope on the seat opposite in the train, marked "read me".

Image source, Richard Want

The card above is what he found inside, and he put it back, to see another passenger reading it as he left the train.

"I hope this happened many times that day and that the card is still doing the rounds," said Richard.

Three new Conservative MPs from Cumbria will be heading for Westminster today for the first time since their party won a controlling majority in the general election last week.

The Cumbrian members settling on to the green benches for the first time will be Simon Fell for Barrow and Furness, the MP for Workington, Mark Jenkinson and Neil Hudson, the MP for Penrith and the Border.

They will be joining experienced hands such as the Copeland MP Trudy Harrison, although she says the new House of Commons, with an 80-seat Conservative majority, will not be the same as the one in which she has worked since she was elected.

BBC Weather

It will be largely fine this afternoon with a good deal of sunshine, and highest temperatures from 5C to 8C (41F to 46F).

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

Mountain rescue volunteers say a lost walker stranded on Cross Fell at the weekend only survived because he followed advice given by the team as they struggled through a blizzard to help him.

Image source, Penrith MRT

The Penrith rescue team volunteers, external say they struggled through deep snow in 50mph winds to reach the man and guide him to safety in an operation lasting more than eight hours on Saturday night.

People in Keswick have been told more about plans for next year's annual Christian gathering, the Convention.

Image source, Keswick Ministries

Next summer the event, for the first time in more than 140 years, will be run jointly on the existing Rawnsley site and at the old Pencil Factory.

Keswick Ministries, which runs the Convention, bought the derelict industrial site in 2015 and plans to turn it into a new, single site for the event, which attracts about 12,000 people every year.

A meeting heard of plans to widen the entrance to the Pencil Factory site for vehicles and pedestrians, and the idea of linking the two sites with a walkway.

Temperatures at 3,000ft (900m): 0C (32F)

Winds: Southwesterly winds at 30mph to 40mph in the morning, easing to 15mph to 20mph during the afternoon

Cloud base: Generally 1,200ft to 1,500ft (365m to 450m)

Freezing level: Around 3000ft (900m)

Visibility: Mainly good, but locally poor in wintry showers.

Image source, LDNPA

The assessors for the Lake District Weatherline report, external say full winter conditions now prevail, with knee-deep snow and cornices giving a risk of avalanche on north and east-facing slopes.

Crampons and ice axe should be carried, although the ice climbing routes are still not frozen into condition.