Our reporters joined drug squad officers from Cumbria Police this morning (Monday), in a series of planned raids in the south of the county.

Raids were carried out at addresses in Kendal and Barrow.

Police gave local reporters permission to join them on the raids.

Our reporter was with Cumbria Police as they broke into a flat on Highgate in Kendal in the early hours of this morning, giving its two occupants a loud wake-up call as they were still asleep at the time.

A 44-year-old man and 18-year-old woman were arrested on suspicion of drugs offences. 

Another warrant was executed on Hallgarth, however no arrests were made. 

Investigations are still ongoing after this morning's raid. 

Below: Raid in Kendal

A warrant was also executed in Barrow. 

Cumbria Police targeted houses in Broad Close and Raglan Court as part of a crackdown on suspected narcotics supply.

Two people have been arrested and a quantity of drugs were seized.

The first team from Barrow headed to Broad Close, Ormsgill, just after 8am and a further team headed to Raglan Court at 9.30am.

Crowds gathered as the teams ram-raided their way into properties and the homes were searched.

Parents taking their children to school near the scene of the final raid spoke of their relief that something was being done in their community.

Local Police then posted letters through nearby homes explaining why police had taken the action they had.

The suspects are now being quizzed by officers at Barrow police station.

Temporary Detective Inspector Jason McKenna said: “The warrants that took place this morning were proactive searches based on intelligence, and we wish to thank the public for their support.

"We will continue to work to target addresses where we believe illegal drug activity is taking place, in order to send out a strong message that drugs will not be tolerated in Cumbria.”
 
Anyone with information should contact police on 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

Below: Raid in Barrow

Planned roadworks that would close a section of the A590 during night-time hours this week have now been delayed until tomorrow evening (Tuesday).

Highways England have said that due to bad weather, work will now start one day later than originally planned, but will still last three days once started.

The roadworks, which are yet to be confirmed, are set to take place on the eastbound A590 at the junction with the A592 in the Newby Bridge area.

The works are scheduled to take place from tomorrow night until Friday morning, with all lanes to be closed in the area between 8pm and 6am.

Diversion:

Highways England have put a diversion in place, and are directing drivers approaching from the west to follow the A592 through Bowness and Windermere, joining the A591 heading east and passing Kendal and Sizergh before joining the A590 at the Brettargh Holt roundabout.

Approaching from the east, drivers are being directed on the A591 past Kendal until reaching Windermere, and then joining the A592 at Windermere, following the road south through Bowness until rejoining the A590.

In either direction, the diversion will be 21.6 miles, and will take an estimated 35 minutes, dependent on traffic.

Access times:

During the evening closures on these dates, residents living on the section where the works are taking place will have access to and from their homes.

The roads are set to be open as normal during the day between 6am and 8pm.

A spokesperson for Highways England said: "The closures will be part of resurfacing works as part of our scheme to improve the roads in the region.

"The diversion in place is to allow the safe access of all types of vehicles using the roads in the region."

Other roadworks:

Elsewhere, one lane is currently closed on the eastbound A590 near Greenodd, between the A5087 east of Ulverston and the junction with the A5092 for emergency roadworks.

This is due to the embankment survey currently taking place at Greenodd.

The work there is set to last until 1pm on Tuesday.

Beatrix Potter's Peter Rabbit is to become the first children's book character to appear on a UK coin.

He'll feature on a 50p coin released to mark the 150th anniversary of the author's birth in 1866.

The news that Potter's work will feature on a new run of coins was first revealed in January this year.

The Royal Mint has also said three more Potter characters will feature on special edition coins released later in the year to complete a four-piece set.

The coins were created by Royal Mint designer Emma Noble, who has previously worked on pieces commemorating the Diamond Jubilee and Remembrance Sunday.

She said: "I wanted to put Beatrix Potter's illustrations to the forefront of my design as they are lovely images and the characters are very well known.

"I felt they were strong enough to stand alone and I designed them in this way as I thought they would work best for both the coloured commemorative and uncoloured circulating coins."

Potter's children's book The Tale Of Peter Rabbit, the first to feature the character, was an instant success after being picked up in 1902 by British children's publisher Frederick Warne & Co. He went on to appear in five more books by the author who became linked with the Lake District.

Potter died in 1943 aged 77.

The coins are the second set announced by the Royal Mint this year to celebrate the sesquicentenary of Potter's birth, with gold and silver 50p pieces unveiled at the new year.

It's part of a series that The Royal Mint says will give a snapshot of Britain over the last 1,000 years, marking key moments, organisations and people that have shaped the nation.

Other coins commemorate The Battle of Hastings 950 years ago, the 350th anniversary of the Great Fire of London, and some of William Shakespeare’s best known histories, comedies and tragedies.

The Royal Mint’s five-year programme marking the centenary of the First World War continues with a £2 coin remembering the community pride that fuelled the rise of “Pals” battalions.

Anne Jessopp, director of commemorative coin at the Royal Mint, told The Independent: “It is always exciting to see the new year’s design revealed, commemorating moments that matter, and revisiting some of the great and stories from our history.

“The British public should start to see these coins appearing in their change from spring 2016.”

(Additional reporting by Press Association)

A Kendal-based arts charity has been shortlisted for 'The People's Project' competition, which could see them secure a £50,000 grant.

The money would enable 'Kendal Windows on Art'  to deliver their ‘Pride of Place’ project to schools across the town, as well as in Milnthorpe and Windermere.

The project encourages older people to get to know their younger neighbours through the sharing of stories, memories and interests in a primary school setting.

Following the success of the inaugural ‘Pride of Place’ project at Milnthorpe Primary School last year, KWoA has now reached the final stage of The People’s Project competition.

There are five shortlisted projects in this region and the three projects with the most public votes will be offered funding of up to £50,000.

If KWoA are successful, they plan to roll the Pride of Place project out to Kendal and Windermere with bases at Heron Hill and Stramongate Primary Schools and St Cuthbert’s and Goodly Dale Primary Schools.

KWoA project co-ordinator Nicki Smith said: “This is an extraordinary opportunity for us to support so many more children, young families and older people in Milnthorpe, Kendal and Windermere.

“It’s important that our local older people are valued and are at the centre of their communities, inspiring the younger generations."

For the filming, children and older people from St Cuthbert’s and Goodly Dale schools in Windermere and Stramongate and Heron Hill schools in Kendal were invited to meet children and older people based at Milnthorpe Primary School and join in intergenerational creative activities.

Nicki continued: “I don’t know who was more excited when the filming started – the children, the older people or the KWoA artists!

“Everyone involved can’t wait to see the film on ITV and we hope it will encourage local people to vote for our ‘Pride of Place’ project.”

The voting is open now, here and closes on Sunday 13 March at midday.

You can see the project video below:

A Flood Alert has been issued for the Rivers Kent, Bela, Brathay, Rothay, Winster, Duddon, Crake and Mill Beck.

The Environment Agency says flooding is possible along rivers between 9am and 11am tomorrow.

Rain - in addition to some snow, is forecast for parts of Cumbria for a 10 hour period overnight (Monday into Tuesday).

A statement from the Environment Agency reads: "This rain will become persistent, especially across the high ground, where the highest rates and accumulations will be seen. Some snow over higher ground is possible on the leading edge of this band of rain.

"Most of the rain will fall within the first 6 to 8 hours of Tuesday morning when we may see a response from rivers and streams especially rapid responding upland watercourses.

"Blustery showers will follow later during the afternoon before the rain clears."

An update will be given on the revamp of The Glebe in Bowness at a business meeting tonight.

The Windermere and Bowness Chamber of Trade is meeting at the Burnside Hotel from 6pm.

Representative's from Capita will be there to update members on phase 4 of the project.

Work's being done to make the beauty spot more accessible for public transport, cyclists and pedestrians.

There’s still time to enter the third annual Lake District backgammon championship which will be staged at Windermere’s Cedar Manor Hotel on Sunday March 13.

Leading players from across the UK have already registered for the contest, but the organiser, hotel owner Jonathan Kaye, has four places left for the event.

“You don’t have to be an expert to enjoy this,” said Jonathan.

“Backgammon is a game of chance as well as skill, and it is great fun to take part. We’ve had some surprising results in the past.”

The competition, backed by the UK Backgammon Federation, has been growing in popularity since it was launched at the hotel in 2014.

It also led to the formation of a Lake District club which meets monthly.

Jonathan said: “It’s always a really exciting day, with some terrific matches.

"Backgammon is growing in popularity and our monthly club has seen some great competition during the past year.”

The first prize is a two-night stay at the Cedar Manor Hotel.

Those interested in competing should call 015394 43192 as soon as possible.

Another Yellow Warning for snow and ice has been issued for the North West.

All of Cumbria and Lancashire could be affected from 5am until 10am tomorrow.

The Met Office says they're not certain about where exactly the greatest snowfall will be.

An update from The Met Office says: "Showers or outbreaks of rain will turn wintry overnight, with the risk of a more prolonged spell of snowfall late in the night and during Wednesday morning, especially in the south.

"This will give a covering of snow with 1-4 cm possible in places and locally 5-10 cm, these higher accumulations mainly above 200m. Icy stretches on untreated roads and pavements are also likely to form.

"Please be aware of some difficult driving conditions and the potential for travel disruption into the Wednesday morning rush hour."

Met Office Advisor Kevin Wadsworth said: "It may be the first day of meteorological Spring, but I’m afraid it’s not going to feel very Spring like. The next few days are going to be pretty cold, with temperatures low enough for some snow in places.

"Mostly dry this afternoon, but we’ll see some showers this evening. These will be rain or sleet at low levels, but some snow on the Fells and Pennines, where a covering is possible, especially above 200 m. It’ll become dry for a time in the middle of the night, but more showers are expected in the early hours, lasting through the rest of the night. These are going to give 1-4 cm of snow in places, locally 5-10 cm (mainly above 200 m). 

"Lancashire and the Greater Manchester area look especially prone to seeing a few cm of snow on the ground from some heavy snow showers on Wednesday morning, leading to some localised traffic disruption.  The showery nature of the precipitation means that some of us will see very little, whilst adjacent areas get a covering. The likelihood does increase with altitude though, and it’s certainly above 100-200 m where we’re more likely to see accumulations of several cm, leading to some tricky conditions. Clear spells between the showers could lead to some icy stretches on any untreated surfaces.

"We have a Yellow Warning of Snow and Ice in force (medium likelihood, low impacts), valid from midnight tonight to 10:00, which covers all of our area. Low impact warnings are not ‘pushed’, but you can view them in the usual way on Hazard Manager, or our website.

"Temperatures will rise a few degrees above zero tomorrow, so any snow at lower levels will melt. Staying closer to freezing on the highest routes, so any thawing here will be more gradual.

"Sunny spells on Wednesday, but more showers are likely in the afternoon/evening. These will fall as rain, sleet or wet snow at low levels, with more snow content as you gain altitude – weather warnings will be kept under review.

"Remaining cold through Thursday, Friday and the weekend, with overnight temperatures close to freezing and daytime temperatures typically 5 to 7 Celsius (colder on high ground, where snow cover remains). There should be a good deal of fine, dry weather, but we will monitor the risk of any further wintry showers."

Met Office updates are here.

It's been officially confirmed that a 1.4 mile stretch of dual carriageway on the A590 from Newby Bridge roundabout to Barrow Banks will close from tonight (Tuesday).

Resurfacing work will take place over the next three nights, with full road closures between 8pm and 6am.

Access will only be available for local residents.

The work was due to start last night, but Highways England delayed it due to bad weather.

Diversion Route:

Highways England have put a diversion in place, and are directing drivers approaching from the west to follow the A592 through Bowness and Windermere, joining the A591 heading east and passing Kendal and Sizergh before joining the A590 at the Brettargh Holt roundabout.

Approaching from the east, drivers are being directed on the A591 past Kendal until reaching Windermere, and then joining the A592 at Windermere, following the road south through Bowness until rejoining the A590.

In either direction, the diversion will be 21.6 miles, and will take an estimated 35 minutes, dependent on traffic.

Access Times:

During the evening closures on these dates, residents living on the section where the works are taking place will have access to and from their homes.

The roads are set to be open as normal during the day between 6am and 8pm.

A spokesperson for Highways England said: "The closures will be part of resurfacing works as part of our scheme to improve the roads in the region.

"The diversion in place is to allow the safe access of all types of vehicles using the roads in the region."

Other Roadworks:

Elsewhere, one lane is currently closed on the eastbound A590 near Greenodd, between the A5087 east of Ulverston and the junction with the A5092 for emergency roadworks.

This is due to the embankment survey currently taking place at Greenodd.

The work there is set to last until 1pm on Tuesday.

Police are investigating after vandals covered two vehicles in spray paint in Bowness.

It happened while the cars were parked on Rayrigg Rise, between 10pm on Friday and 1.30am on Saturday.

A witness appeal's been launched after a female motorist was verbally abused by a van driver in Brigsteer.

She reported to police that he'd followed her on Park End Lane on Friday between 10.30am and 11am.

He then hurled abuse at her while she was parking in a bay on the lane.

Police are appealing for information after a cold-caller verbally abused an elderly man at his home in Staveley.

It happened at the 72-year-old victim’s home on Kents Drive, at 4pm on Thursday, when the caller also gestured about cutting his throat.

Police say the caller became abusive when the homeowner said he didn't want to buy anything from him.

The offender is described as white, aged between 18 and 20 with short black hair and a Merseyside accent.

He was wearing a blue hooded jacket, light coloured trousers and a large rucksack, and was with two other young men.

A petition's been started, to re-instate the mothballed Kendal Northern Relief Road.

It's so far got 200 signatures - but it needs 10,000 to get a government response.

At 100,000, it would then be considered for a parliamentary debate.

One month ago, Kendal Town Council said it might make fresh calls for a road to be built.

Previous plans for the Kendal Northern Development Route were mothballed by Cumbria County Council.

It's thought the 3.1 mile road would cost around £40million.

Councillor Sylvia Emmott put forward a motion saying the Town Council should push SLDC and the County Council to have a proposal ready for the government within three years.

Local campaigner Nigel Thompson said: "I'm sure there is plenty people that will give the petition their signature if you could give us some sort of article & support. The link road would do wonders for both Kendal and for any future M6 closures in the area. Tim Farron is Backing this 100%."

You can sign the petition here.

Lib Dem Leader & South Lakes MP Tim Farron is being accused of failing to act on a perceived threat to local NHS services.

The local 'No Health Sell-Off' campaign group says an EU trade deal - the ‘Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership’, or 'TTIP', poses "a real and serious threat" to Britain’s sovereignty over the NHS.

Campaigners say Mr Farron has refused to take firm action to oppose the inclusion of the NHS in the deal.

But Mr Farron says the UK has been given a "clear guarantee" by the European Commissioner that under TTIP, the NHS will not be threatened, nor will the UK government be forced to privatise health services.

Campaigners claim the trade deal "threatens to make the on-going privatisation of the NHS irreversible", adding that "TTIP could grant American multinationals, or any firm with American investors, the power to sue the government if it ever attempted to take privatised health services back into public ownership."

In a joint statement, Stuart Downs and Margaret James-Barber - local residents and campaign spokespeople, said: “Alarming legal advice shows that  Britain’s sovereignty  over the NHS are being sold down the river by faceless EU bureaucrats to Wall Street, yet Tim Farron is doing nothing to defend our local health services from this attack.  

"Local residents have signed petitions, sent letters, attended protests and asked for help at local surgeries but their genuine concerns have been ignored by Tim Farron.

"The Lib Dem leader must now protest to David Cameron in the strongest terms because people do not believe it is right for our NHS to be put at risk of irreversible privatisation.

“If Tim Farron is serious about his concerns ensuring that our NHS is safe from irreversible privatisation, then he must join the other opposition leaders in demanding that David Cameron acts and protects the NHS from the EU trade deal TTIP."

Mr Farron responded: "The UK has been given a clear guarantee from European Commissioner for Trade Cecilia Malmström that under TTIP the NHS will not be threatened, nor will the UK government be forced to privatise health services."

A spokesperson from Mr Farron's office added: "Tim's priority has always been to protect services at Westmorland General Hospital, and he will continue to fight to ensure that local people have access to the services they need.”

A letter from the EU Trade Commissioner about the issue is here.

Police in Kendal arrested two people during a drugs raid this morning.

A 33-year-old man and a 32-year-old woman were arrested for possession of a controlled substance, after a warrant was executed at Anchorite Road.

The man has since been released, with no further action to be taken, and the female given a caution for possession of cannabis and Valium.

Meanwhile, two people arrested following a separate drugs raid in the Highgate area of Kendal yesterday have been released, with an 18-year-old woman given a caution for the possession of cannabis. 

Cumbria County Council has decided not to allow all types of traffic to use the A591's western shore road and temporary road before it fully re-opens, due to "practical problems".

After two weeks of running shuttle-bus traffic on the temporary road to bypass "The Gap" at Dunmail Raise, a decision has been reached on which traffic will be allowed to use the temporary road before it fully re-opens in May.

It will be limited to: school buses, scheduled bus services, pedestrians, cyclists, emergency services, residents who live between the north and south road closure points, gritters, and essential construction vehicles.

Engineers say opening the western road to normal two-way traffic would lead to gridlock.

An update from Cumbria County Council reads: "The key question was whether traffic could safely and practically be allowed to travel on the road along the western shore of the reservoir, and along the new temporary road. The likely volume of traffic and the nature of the roads themselves were key considerations.

"On average two way traffic flows on the A591 in the months of March, April and May are in the order of 5000 vehicles per day. Given this likely volume of traffic, and the narrowness of the road, highways engineers do not believe the western road could be opened to two-way traffic without causing gridlock.

"To allow the western road, and temporary road, to open to one-way traffic a convoy system would be required over the full 9km route, with traffic moving north and south in sequence. To cope with the peak hourly traffic, 300 vehicles in a single direction, the convoys would need to be over 1km long and would take around 40 minutes to clear the diversion route.

"This would result in traffic being queued for up to 2 hours at each end, making the journey time potentially longer than existing diversion routes. In addition, any incidents of traffic moving in the ‘wrong’ direction on the western road, or a breakdown, would severely disrupt the convoy system causing further delay. Such a system would also hamper access for emergency vehicles and the shuttle-bus which is already proving to be so popular its capacity has been increased. The bus service will continue to be monitored and amended to meet demand."

Cllr Keith Little, Cabinet Member for Highways and Transport, said: “We’ve looked at this very carefully because we understand the impact the road closure is having, but after long consideration we’ve come to the conclusion we cannot allow the general public to drive the road, it is simply not a practical option and would disrupt a bus service that is proving to be very successful.

"I appreciate this decision may disappoint people, but we have to follow the advice of our professional highways engineers. They make these decisions based on many years’ experience managing the county’s roads.”

The A590 has been closed at Levens due to a serious accident involving a vehicle and pedestrian.

The road near Heaves Lodge is closed eastbound between the A5074 junction and the Brettargh Holt roundabout.

Queuing traffic has been reported and a diversion is in operation via the A6 eastbound.

One westbound lane has also been shut while emergency services attend the scene.

You can head to The Bay Travel Centre for all the latest information. 

More to come. 

Serious Collision A590 Nr Heaves Lodge, Levens.Vehicle & pedestrian. Closure in place E/B currently.Local diversions in place . Please avoid

— Cumbria Police (@Cumbriapolice) March 1, 2016

A590 Collision. Road is closed E/B between A6 Levens and Brettargh Holt. 1 lane W/B closed. Services at scene and Diversions in place .

— Cumbria Police (@Cumbriapolice) March 1, 2016

A female pedestrian has been killed in a crash on the A590 tonight.

Police and paramedics were called to the scene near Heaves Lodge, Levens, at around 7.30pm, following reports of a collision between a woman and a Vauxhall Caddy van.

A police spokesman has confirmed the fatality to our colleagues at The North West Evening Mail, and it's understood the male driver of the van had not been taken to hospital.

The road has been closed eastbound between the A5074 junction and the Brettargh Holt roundabout while emergency services attend the scene.

Highways are at the scene and one westbound lane has also been shut.

The road is expected to remain closed until at least midnight.

Long delays have been reported in the area and a diversion is in operation via the A6 eastbound.

£35,000 will be spent making a South Cumbrian nature reserve more accessible.

Thousands of metres of boardwalk will be installed at Meathop Moss, near Witherslack.

The Cumbria Wildlife Trust has been restoring the peat bog habitat there since 2012 - it's home to unusual plants and rare butterflies and moths.

The cash has come from a grant by the SITA Trust.

Hazel Jones, Senior Fundraising Officer for Cumbria Wildlife Trust says: “Meathop Moss has been a nature reserve since 1919 and it continues to be one of the best examples of raised peat bog in the country. The peat bog has unusual plants like Sphagnum mosses, cotton grasses, bog rosemary, bog asphodel, cranberry and sundew. Entomologists come from far and wide to experience some of the 200 species of butterfly and moth that have been recorded here.”
 
“Thanks to this generous grant from SITA Trust, 2,000 reed and 1,000 willow plants will be planted by volunteers alongside the new boardwalk to create a natural screen that will reduce visitor disturbance to wildfowl in the fen and pools. Regular volunteering events will be held to assist with this project and the Reserve Warden will lead guided walks at the site to inspire people about nature and the special wildlife at Meathop Moss.”
 
Marianne Ivin of SITA Trust added “This project has been funded through our Accessing Nature fund and is an exciting project that will allow the public to access areas of the reserve that have previously not been possible. We are really looking forward to seeing how the project progresses. SITA Trust provides grants through the Landfill Communities Fund. This important source of funding has been available since 1997 and has provided such worthy projects with more than £1.4 billion.”

A Silverdale pub is set to reopen in the centre of the village following a £300,000 refurbishment.

The family that runs Holgates Caravan Park have carried out the work at The Royal and they say it'll be welcoming patrons this Spring.

Michael Holgate, owner of The Royal, Silverdale, said: "As a family run company involved in the visitor economy in the Arnside and Silverdale AONB, we fully appreciate and understand the needs of both the local community and of visitors to the area. By taking the decision to invest a significant amount of money in The Royal, Holgate's is helping to create sustainable jobs for local people, initially four full time and up to six part-time roles, which may well increase in number during the visitor 2016 visitor season. We are also providing additional quality visitor facilities and are also helping to improve the look and feel of the village by renovating and improving this very visible area in its heart."