A popular literary festival was a hit in its third year, with about 3,000 ticket sales.

Borderlines Carlisle Book Festival came to an end this weekend after 11 days of events, and organisers say it was their most successful year yet.

The festival, which is a mixture of talks by established authors and workshops for aspiring authors and those with an interest in writing, featured more than 40 events in total. About four or five took place at any one time, meaning festival-goers were spoiled for choice.

Barrie Day, a member of the festival committee, said: "It's been very impressive. I think with it being the third year we're establishing a good cohort of followers.

"They almost are waiting for the programme to come out, so we're getting more sales this year than we've ever had before.

"The take up has been great. It's been brilliant."

Mr Day said a lot goes in to organising the festival, but that it is all worth the value it brings to Carlisle.

He added: "If you stand back from it and look at what it's achieving for the city in terms of the arts, it's a great achievement and that's what gives you great satisfaction."

Gwenda Matthew, another of the eight committee members, said: "We sell an awful lot on the day, but to hazard a guess its about 3,000 ticket holders."

She said it was "very definitely" the most successful to date, with highlights including Hunter Davies' moving and personal talk about life with his late wife Margaret Forster, and MP Alan Johnson's talk with Copeland MP Jamie Reed about growing up in the fifties.

This year's programme kicked off with a sell-out talk from Alexander McCall Smith which was attended by 350 people.

Hunter Davies and Alan Johnson also sold out for their talks at the Crown & Mitre.

Sarah Hall, who hails from Bampton near Penrith and has won several prizes for her books, had a good turn out when she was interviewed on Sunday about her book Wolf Border, which is set in Cumbria.

Other events included workshops - on journalism, writing, self-publishing, writing for radio and children - in Tullie House, Carlisle Library and the Cathedral buildings.

The Bookshop Band, a duo who compose songs about books, performed in the Fratry on Thursday.

A poetry competition for schools was run for the first time this year as organisers aimed to broaden the demographic.