More lone asylum-seeking children were being cared for by the council in Cumbria this year, new figures show.

Unaccompanied asylum-seeking children often present themselves at points of entry into the country in their own right and are separated from their parents or any other responsible adult.

Figures from the Department for Education show there were 40 unaccompanied asylum-seeking children in Cumbria being cared for by the former Cumbria County Council as of March 31 – an increase from 25 the year before.

It follows the overall trend in England, where the number of lone child asylum seekers rose by almost a third.

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This year there were 7,290 looked-after children who were unaccompanied child asylum seekers, compared to 5,670 the year before.

The department said it also marked a 42 per cent increase on pre-pandemic 2019 figures.

Unaccompanied child asylum seekers across England were generally older, with just 14 per cent under 16 years old. And the majority - 96 per cent were male.