BBC News Travel

Police say a two-vehicle crash has closed the A686 between Langwathby and Edenhall, two small communities facing each other on each side of the Eden river.

Drivers have been urged to avoid the area.

Cumbria police say they are concerned about a visitor from Hull, who has been reported missing since he was last seen in Keswick at the start of the week.

Image source, Family/Police

Kenneth Roe is said to be 5ft 10in, and was last seen in Leonard Street, when he was wearing a body-warmer over a short and jumper.

Some boarding school students in Cumbria won't be going home this half term because of the coronavirus.

Sedbergh School, which has its own international school in China, says its staff are not allowed to travel between the sites, and 20 pupils from countries categorised as high-risk must stay in the UK.

Austin Friars School in Carlisle and Lime House School in Dalston say some pupils have also had to change their plans.

Cumbrian water customers who have been without supplies this week for more than 12 hours will be automatically compensated, according to United Utilities.

The company says the network supplying parts of the Eden Valley area should now be completely replenished, if not at full pressure, after engineers finished repairing a pipe that was damaged last weekend by Storm Ciara.

There is more advice on issues such as discoloured water here, external.

Helen Apps from United Utilities says customers will be automatically notified about compensation.

• Temperatures at 3,000ft: -1C (30F) at first, rising to 3C (37F) in the afternoon
• Winds: Southerly at 35mph to 40mph, strengthening, 50mph to 60mph, with gusts to 70mph by noon, then veering south-westerly, and easing during the afternoon
• Cloud: Broken cloud at first will soon become extensive with bases down to 1,300ft (400m) but later breaking from the west with bases rising to 2,000ft (600m)
• Weather: After a cold, frosty start, outbreaks of rain will spread in from the west, becoming heavy into the afternoon, along with strengthening winds, clearing by the late afternoon
• Freezing level: Through the valleys at first, rising above the summits through the day
• Visibility: Moderate to poor for much of the day in the low cloud and rain

The assessors for the Lake District Weatherline, external report say there was an almost alpine feel to the fell tops with 10cm (4in) of fresh snow on top of hard and frozen old drifts, so an ice axe and crampons are essential for anyone going on to the high fells.

Image source, LDNPA

People and businesses in Cumbria preparing for Storm Dennis this weekend, external could be safer because of precations built in after Storm Desmond five years ago.

Image source, Network Rail

Network Rail says repairs to the West Coast Main Line took a day rather than weeks after Storm Ciara flooded tracks near Carlisle, because equipment cabinets are now on platforms rather than at ground level.

In Keswick, the Pencil Factory museum took 18 months to repair after the 2015 floods, but assistant manager Jennifer Taylor says resilience can only go so far.

BBC Weather

It will be mainly dry at first this morning but rather cloudy and becoming wet and windy with freshening south-westerlies.

It will be mild, with highest temperatures from 7C to 10C (45F to 50F).

The Met Office warnings for Storm Dennis, external predict strong winds for Cumbria, and more importantly, heavy rain, with an amber alert on the south-eastern fringe where there could be 50mm to 80mm (2in to 3in) between tomorrow afternoon and Sunday afternoon.

Be aware that forecasters say they could still change, and you can of course get the latest, detailed, BBC weather forecast for where you are, here, external.

Martin Lewes
Reporter

Good morning: We'll be keeping you up to date with the news and other useful information from around the county through the day.

If there's news you think we should know or you want to share a photo you've taken, let us know by sending an email, on Facebook, external, or on Twitter, external.

Martin Lewes
Reporter

We've now handed over to the technology to post breaking major news and travel reports through the night.

Here's a reminder of some of today's developments:

• There were finally signs of water supplies recovering in the area of Eden cut off after Storm Ciara washed away a water main near Shap, and some people, especially farmers and business people, were starting to count the cost
• Cumbria County Council's budget meeting can be a dry affair but this coming year it was enlivened by some interestingly-dressed climate campaigners singing outside, and a sharp spat over whether it made sense to set aside about 1% of the authority's budget in case Britain's exit from the EU pushed up inflation
• And it turned out Cumbria has the rest of the north west licked when it came to having plenty of lollipop men and women helping children on their way to school, and we heard some grateful parents even say thank you with a bottle at Christmas!

We'll be back at 08:00 tomorrow. If there's news you think we should know or you want to share a photo you've taken, let us know by sending an email, on Facebook, external, or on Twitter, external.

Have a very good evening.

Bob Cooper
Political reporter, BBC Cumbria

The Labour leader of Cumbria County Council has defended allocating 1% of the council's budget for each of the next five years in case leaving the EU causes a hike in inflation.

Council budget papers discussed today, external take into account that inflation may rise after Brexit, adding £4.5m or a little under 1% to its spending plans in each of the next five years, and the report also warns of economic disruption.

Replying to Conservative opposition accusations of scare-mongering, Councillor Young said the extra money built in for Brexit is “not an unreasonable figure” bearing in mind warnings from government about checks at the border that could push up prices in the economy

The authority will raise its share of council tax by nearly 4%, of which 2% is for adult social care, and make another £5.5m of savings, with a net revenue budget of just over £400m.

The typical Band D council tax will rise by £55.28 a year, plus any increases for the police, district and borough councils, and parish councils.

The detective who helped to jail a former monk convicted of sexually abusing three young boys says it will take some time for his victims to come to terms with what has happened.

Image source, North Yorkshire Police

Peter Turner (pictured), 80, of Redcar, was jailed for more than 20 years after he pleaded guilty to 14 sexual offences committed against three boys aged under 13.

The offences took place at Ampleforth College, North Yorkshire, and a parish in Cumbria between 1984 and 1990.

Det Sgt Graeme Bevington who led the investigation says: "It's affected his victims from the moment it happened until the current day.

"Hopefully the outcome and verdict will give them some sort of closure. But I've no doubt it will continue to affect them for time to come, because of quite how horrific the crimes were."

BBC Weather

It will be dry tonight with clear intervals and areas of cloud. Light winds will allow a few mist and fog patches to form, and a frost is possible with lowest temperatures from -2C to 1C (28F to 34F).

Yellow Met Office, external warnings for rain and wind cover the county for Saturday through to Sunday night, with an amber warning for rain just south and east of the county boundary.

And of course the detailed BBC weather forecast for where you are can be found by searching for your location here.

Martin Lewes
Reporter

United Utilities says it has distributed water, external, ranging from a pallet of bottles to a tanker load, to dozens of farms cut off or suffering low pressure because of the broken main near Shap.

Image source, United Utilities

Cows are kept inside through the winter, and drink a couple of dozen gallons, or more than 100 litres, of water a day, with more needed for cleaning byres and equipment.

But dealing with the crisis has cost the farmers large amounts of money, according to Stephen Hunter, from Mungrisdale.

A Penrith plumber and DJ was seen acting suspiciously at Kendal Festival and found to be selling ecstasy, Carlisle Crown Court heard.

Layton Jude, 31, initially denied dealing but then confessed he had sold friends illegal class A tablets he’d bought from people leaving the event.

Jude, of Carleton Meadows, Penrith, who was described by his defence as a hard-working family man, was found to be in possession of 60 ecstasy tablets, £255 cash and cocaine for his own use.

Jude admitted possessing ecstasy with intent to supply and cocaine possession and Recorder Eric Lamb jailed him for 32 months, saying that his offending was “grossly aggravated” by the fact it took place at a music festival.

A conman who “destroyed the lives” of two women and spun a web of lies while living secret lives with both has been jailed for two years.

David Mackay, 49, of Leigh Farm, Pensford, near Bristol, told both women he had terminal cancer and obtained loans totalling almost £12,000 in their names.

Both described in victim impact statements how their relationships with Mackay had turned their lives upside down, and prosecutor Kate Hammond said: “Both of these women now have significant debt.”

At Carlisle Crown Court, Mackay admitted nine fraud and two theft charges, and it emerged the crimes had funded his drug use after release from a 1990s armed robbery prison sentence.

Gosforth Church of England Primary School will be closed after next week, which is half term, because spare parts are not available to fix a broken boiler.

Jennie Dennett
BBC Cumbria

Cumbria is bucking a national when it comes to lollipop women and men, with almost double the number working here compared with 2013.

The GMB trade union says the North West is one of the worst hit regions in the UK and the number of lollipop men and women fell by more than 2,000 from over 7,000 working back in 2010.

But in Cumbria there are currently 42 school crossing patrol staff, with four vacancies being advertised, compared with 24 in post in 2013.

BBC News Travel

The Newlands Pass will be closed for some time for repairs after this landslip during Storm Ciara last weekend.

The road runs from Buttermere to Derwentwater, and would probably have been shut by show and ice this week anyway.

Allerdale Borough Council says it wants to work with people from the Gypsy and Traveller communities, despite evicting people from camps in Workington.

An eviction notice on one group was upheld in court this week, while another was issued on a camp near the council's headquarters.

One leading Gypsy representative, Billy Welch, says the council is contributing to the problem by not providing an authorised site although governments have made money available to do so in past years.

A site for Gypsies and Travellers has been identified in the Allerdale Local Plan, which has been "found sound" by the Planning Inspectorate, though no decision has been taken to build a site.

Officials are due to start assessing the need for accommodation in the spring.

David John Mackay lived secret lives with both, stole from them, and ran up debts in their names.