A night bus service is due be available for Seaton villagers for three months.

The parish council agreed to contribute £17 a night to the cost of running the service, after requests were made by villagers who needed to get back from visiting Whitehaven's West Cumberland Hospital.

Councillors agreed to run a three-month trial to test the viability and usage of the service, which would leave Workington at 10pm Mondays to Saturdays.

Councillor Celia Tibble said people would make more use of the bus during the Christmas period, but Coun Alistair Gray said it would take travel firm Stagecoach at least seven weeks to register the new service.

He added: "For £17 a night it's worth a trial, but we need to spread the word to let people know we're doing it."

Paul Bramley, town clerk, is due to write to the firm to request the trial and find out when it could start.