A farmer convicted of recklessly disturbing a pair of breeding ospreys will have his appeal heard in the new year.

Paul Barnes, 59, was found guilty of two charges following a magistrates' court trial at Workington in August.

Barnes used his tractor to tow a trailer of people into the field close to the osprey nesting site, near Bassenthwaite Lake, in June last year.

The birds of prey returned to the Lake District in 2001 after an absence of 150 years. They have since become a major tourist attraction.

As a result, the court heard, the two adult birds were scared from their nest.

Barnes was convicted of two charges brought under the Country and Wildlife Act 1981 and was ordered to pay a £300 fine, plus £2,000 costs.

However, he appealed his conviction and appeared at Carlisle Crown Court yesterday for a date for that appeal to be fixed.

The hearing - estimated to last three days - is scheduled to start on January 23 next year.