One of Copeland's by-election candidates has been filmed refusing to answer media questions.

Channel 4 today posted a video showing reporter Michael Crick approaching Labour's Gillian Troughton, who remained silent and was ushered away.

It comes after the TV company this week contacted our sister paper The Whitehaven News in a desperate bid to contact the candidate directly.

A producer for the channel asked our news team: "Could you tell me how we could get hold of Gillian Troughton?''

The producer said she appeared to be unobtainable and they needed to organise an interview while they were in Copeland for 36 hours to talk to candidates on the hustings.

Despite contacting Mrs Troughton's communications team, the producer was unable to organise an interview with her. She was, it seemed, being "kept away''.

The team eventually tracked her down and Crick, who is known for chasing politicians in the street, including Tony Blair, and asking them awkward questions, found himself facing a silent Mrs Troughton, who was ushered past him into the Beacon yesterday.

"Why are you hiding from us,'' Mr Crick asked. "Do you speak?''

He did, however, obtain interviews with Trudy Harrison (Cons), Fiona Mills (UKIP), Rebecca Hanson (Lib Dem), and Jack Lenox (Green).

Voters have a further opportunity to question the candidates at a hustings event on Monday at the United Reformed Church at 7.30pm – including Mrs Troughton who this afternoon tweeted she is "excited'' to attend.