Restoration work has begun in an effort to refurbish Lazonby Fire Station following a fire.

The work began on Monday, June 24, following the fire in February of this year.

The initial incident, suspected to have been caused by an electrical fault, caused no harm to anyone.

The flames were successfully extinguished by onsite firefighters, also ensuring no damage was inflicted upon the fire engine.

The restoration, planned to stretch across six weeks, is being carried out by Stobbarts Ltd.

Their main tasks are to repair sections that were damaged by fire and make improvements to the firefighters' accommodation.

Energy-efficient heating systems are also part of the restoration project purposed for lowering the energy consumption of the station.

David Allen, Cumbria’s police fire and crime commissioner, said: "I’m really pleased to see the work begin to restore and improve Lazonby Fire Station.

"It’s great to see what was an unfortunate occurrence being turned into an opportunity to improve.

“Our on-call stations are vital to the service to ensure that all emergencies can be attended in a timely manner and keep the public as safe as possible, so it’s essential that this work is complete.

“I will be visiting Lazonby in person soon and I look forward to seeing the completed work in the near future.”

Rick Ogden, the chief fire officer for Cumbria Fire and Rescue Service, said: "It is most welcome that work is now starting to refurbish Lazonby Fire Station, and it has taken a tremendous amount of work to get us to this point.

"I’d like to thank the crew at Lazonby for the resilience and professionalism they have shown in the period since the fire, and we thank the community and Bells of Lazonby for their support and understanding."