A Carlisle shop owner, said to be the victim of a murder-bid by a man armed with a blowtorch and machete, has thanked the public for their concern.

Vaughan Livesey, 50, suffered burns to his legs following an incident at his PB Sports shop in Wigton Road on Tuesday.

Sixty-year-old Francis Robertson, from Stainton, near Penrith, has been charged with attempted murder and two counts of possessing an offensive weapon in a public place without a reasonable excuse.

The weapons he is alleged to have had were named on court papers as a blow-torch with petrol and a machete.

Robertson's defence lawyer told magistrates that the defendant will deny all three allegations.

Speaking exclusively to the News & Star , Mr Livesey said he had been overwhelmed by the support from all who know him.

In the days since the alleged attack, hundreds of people have contacted him through Facebook, he said.

Mr Livesey said: "I just want everybody to know that I'm fine and I just want to get on with running my business.

"The support I've had has been unreal. I have a lot of friends and many of them have been showing their support on Facebook.

"There have been hundreds of messages.

"But I've had lots of phone calls too. The phone was ringing constantly [on Wednesday]."

Mr Livesey said he was inundated with goodwill messages on his Facebook page - to such an extent, that he posted a public message to his friends saying: "This is just to say a massive thank you to all the people that were concerned about me and wished me well.

"Sorry if I’ve not responded to your messages but I have literally had hundreds but this message is just to say thanks to you for all your messages.

"They have helped me stay strong. Thank you everyone."

Originally from Manchester, Mr Livesey has run his shop selling sports nutrition products for the last 17 years.

A fitness enthusiast, he trains at a local gym six days a week.

He added praise for the emergency services who were deployed on Tuesday morning in the moments after the incident.

"The police, fire brigade, and ambulance and hospital staff were all 100 per cent," he said.

"I can't fault them. I was treated amazingly well by all of them."

He added another thank you to his partner of 25 years, Jude Urwin, for her support.

During his 15-minute appearance at Carlisle's Rickergate magistrates' court, Robertson - grey-haired, and bespectacled - sat in the dock, flanked by two security staff, as lawyers discussed his case.

In a quiet voice, he answered several questions put to him by the court's legal adviser, confirming his name, date of birth, and nationality and saying that he understood the three charges he faces.

Prosecutor John Moran briefly outlined the prosecution's case - that the defendant tried to murder Mr Livesey in his PB Sports shop on the morning of February 13.

The prosecution case, he said, was that the alleged attack was linked to an alleged dispute over money and a house built by the defendant.

Defence lawyer Sean Harkin told the court: "The defendant has indicated not guilty pleas to all charges."

There was no bail application. Keith Southward, the presiding magistrate, told the defendant: "The alleged offences are too serious for us to deal with, therefore we're sending you to the crown court for a hearing on March 5."

Robertson was remanded in custody until that hearing.

Police meanwhile have renewed their appeal for information.

They particularly want to hear from anybody who who may have been using a dashcam on their vehicle or who drove along Wigton Road between 9am and 12pm on Tuesday.