Last updated 19:41, Thursday, 26 June 2008

A PLAN to build 15 bedrooms at the Lakeland Sheep and Wool Centre has been backed by Cockermouth Town Council.KESWICK’S mayor Roger Purkiss has added his voice to calls for solutions to the falling lake level at Derwentwater.AROUND 400 homes in the Little Broughton area are now part of Allerdale council’s new purple bag recycling scheme.A BLOOD donation session will be held on Thursday, July 3, at the Evolution Centre, Highfield Road, Cockermouth, between 2pm and 7pm.

Centre owner Roy Campbell has applied to Allerdale council to build en-suite bedrooms in case the centre’s sheep show is forced to close because of blue tongue disease.

The town council was consulted about the application at its meeting last week.

Visitor numbers at the centre, off the A66, have been down since the threat of foot and mouth last August.

Sheep breeder Mr Campbell said that fears of a blue tongue epidemic had decreased visitor numbers further and added that there was a desperate need for good value accommodation.

But, he said, he had no definite plans to close the sheep show yet.

Mr Campbell previously said that any prudent businessman would make contingency plans under the circumstances.

Councillor Sam Standage said: “The number of visitors at the centre is well down compared to a few years ago, when it used to bring busloads of people in.“It is a shame it has to go down this road as it will be a great loss to the town.”

Mr Purkiss has laid a plaque to mark the latest record low mark, following a mayoral tradition going back to the 1890s.

He said the level had dropped over the years and had been identified as a problem which needed addressing.

Issues at Derwentwater have emerged as low rainfall throughout May and early June contributed to falling water levels across Cumbria.

The lake is around 72ft at its deepest point but only has an average depth of 18ft.

The scheme enables people to recycle glass, cans and plastic bottles in the bags, which are collected fortnightly.

On the first collection day, 1,580 tonnes of recyclable material was collected from the Little Broughton area.

The council plans to extend the scheme to other households in the borough this year.