The aristocratic owner of Blencathra has emphatically crushed any lingering hope that he might one day sell the mountain.

His comments came as the Charity Commission confirmed that it has has had complaints about The Friends of Blencathra – the Cumbria based charity set up with the aim of buying the iconic peak.

Hugh Lowther, Eight Earl of Lonsdale, originally put the mountain on the market with a price tag of £1.75m as he tried to raise cash to pay off an inheritance tax bill following the death of his father.

The Friends raised cash in the hope of buying Blencathra for the public's benefit but they have never revealed how much was raised.

Asked about persistent rumours that he might still be willing to reconsider the sale, the Earl spoke emphatically.

“No, no, no – I say 100 per cent that the sale of Blencathra is not going to happen,” he declared. “It's over – finished with.

“We had to pay in £900,000 in inheritance tax by a certain date, and that date came.

"In the end, we had to find other assets to sell to raise that money, which we did. That happened some weeks ago.

“We had to sell other assets – pictures, paintings - and so we were able to do it without affecting any of the people who lived on the estate, which was my main concern.

"We have avoided doing that.

“So the taxman has now been paid off and as far as we're concerned the sale of Blencathra is not going to happen at any time.

"It will not happen in my lifetime, and I expect it will stay in my family.

“Yet we have been having flak about this for months, with people suggesting that I've lowered the price.

"Let me repeat: the sale is not going to happen. It was all decided as soon as we managed to sell off the other assets.”

The Earl said that he has had not had any contact with the Friends of Blencathra “for months”.

A spokesman for the Charity Commission confirmed that it has had complaints about the charity, which has so far declined to respond to requests for interviews.

The statement said: “The Commission is aware of the change of circumstances relating to the availability of Blencathra for sale.

"The Commission will engage with the trustees of the charity Friends of Blencathra Ltd to advise on the legal framework within which the funds raised to date should be dealt with.”