A listed north Cumbrian pub is undergoing works which will see the size of its dining area double.

The Bridge End Inn at Dalston, near Carlisle, is expanding in order to accompany demand for weddings, christenings and other events.

It also means the owners, Julie and Ian Brown, will no longer be turning away custom on busy weekends.

With a large table already booked for April, the couple are aiming to complete the extension within the next six weeks.

Ian said: “Because it’s a listed building we’re having to do it with a lot of care and attention but it will be nice when it’s done.

“We’re still open. We are trying to do it without disrupting anything.

“At this time of year it’s not easy but the beer garden is a draw and we need to get it up and then we can have the beer garden for the summer.”

The dining area currently holds about 60 people for meals but the expansion will mean they could accommodate more than 100 diners.

They were fully booked for tables on Valentine’s Day and often find they are having to turn away business at weekends.

Julie said: “We’ve had to cancel a few things.

“It’s something we’ve been looking at. We’ve got a good chef and it’s really going well, so why not?”

She and Ian bought the pub from Punch Taverns about four years ago and did some refurbishment work then.

It underwent a £200,000 renovation and expansion in 2005.

Ian said: “It’s quite a big thing for Dalston.

“This end of Dalston has really taken off.

“A lot of walkers come in the summer time and we have to refuse people because we just haven’t got the space.

“We refuse maybe 50 or 60 people on a busy Saturday and Sunday.

“It will give us more room and we can plan the tables better.”

The building expansion, which will be sympathetic to the area, will be similar to the existing building.

North Cumbria’s pub scene is undergoing a mini boom at the moment, with a number of venues being revamped or new bars opening.

The Fat Gadgie is set to open in Devonshire Street in Carlisle city centre.

And pub-goers and travellers will once again be able to raise a glass in Carlisle’s railway station as it prepares to house a pub inspired by the period in which it was built.

It will be named 301 Miles From London – based on Carlisle folklore which claims that is the distance from the capital, although it’s actually thought to be 299 miles.