A major event about lasers beamed into the county earlier this month.

The workshop, held at Energus, Lillyhall, was the first of its kind in Cumbria and focused on laser applications in the nuclear industry.

It was organised by the Association of Industrial Laser Users and the University of Cumbria, and sponsored by the James Fisher Foundation.

More than 60 people attended, from across Cumbria, Dounreay, France and Germany.

The audience heard from key experts including researchers from Manchester and Sheffield universities, Sellafield, and several companies from Germany and the UK who are innovating with laser technology.

Stephen Mullen, senior lecturer in engineering at the University of Cumbria facilitated the event.

He said: “These types of events normally happen in the south of the country making it difficult for Cumbrian engineers to attend.

“As part of university’s mandate to support CPD for Cumbrian professionals, we brought the UK's leading academics and practitioners in laser development to Cumbria to reduce travel and access constraints and thereby encourage greater local participation."

Organisers hope that the event will inspire new networks and collaborations between businesses and academia across the world.

An international conference on security and resilience is being planned by the university to take place in October.