A drug dealer jumped on his bike to peddle narcotics through the streets of Carlisle.

Stephen James Earle, 31, was jailed at the city’s crown court in the latest example of illegal substances being shipped to north Cumbria from Merseyside.

Details of Earle’s blatant dealing, in broad daylight on June 7, were outlined by prosecutor Gerard Rogerson.

Acting on information about suspected drug dealing, a detective went to the St Aidan’s area at about 1.30pm in an unmarked vehicle.

“He saw the defendant, Mr Earle, was riding around on a bike around various streets in the St Aidan’s area,” said Mr Rogerson.

“He was distinctive in that he appeared to have a bruised eye.”

He was seen stopping to talk to people. About an hour later, the officer saw a group of known drug users on the corner of Fusehill Street and Close Street.

Earle was then spotted on his push bike. When police approached and identified themselves, he tried to make off but was detained.

Despite claiming not to have drugs on him, a search revealed 16 rocks of crack cocaine and 25 heroin wraps hidden in his jacket pocket. These were worth hundreds of pounds.

Earle’s mobile phone contained messages consistent with drug-dealing, the court heard.

A drugs expert, said Mr Rogerson, concluded: “They are indicative of addicts being sent from the Liverpool area and this is very much the way they are seen to operate on the streets of Cumbria.”

Earle later pleaded guilty to possessing heroin and crack cocaine with intent to supply and possessing cannabis.

Kim Whittlestone, defending, told the court: “He was sent here for the purpose of selling class A drugs.”

Earle was in debt to the tune of £5,000 and had been subject to force which had left him in hospital and, as was seen in Carlisle, with a facial injury.

“He is a drug user. He was being paid in small amounts of heroin and cocaine - that, effectively, was his profit,” said Miss Whittlestone.

“He isn’t someone who had significant financial gain as a result of this offending at all.”

Earle had been a “visible presence” in Carlisle and had not sold any drugs on the day he was arrested.

Jailing Earle, of no fixed abode, for three years and nine months, Recorder Michael Murray told him: “You came specifically from Liverpool to Carlisle to peddle class A drugs.”

He described illegal drugs as “one of society’s great problems”, and added: “You were part of that in peddling these awful substances to people.”