A Carlisle man caged for his role in a £250,000 heroin ring has had his sentence slashed.

Gary Andrew Duncanson, 53, was locked up for 20 years at Carlisle Crown Court in September last year after he was convicted of conspiracy to supply heroin.

The dealer, of Irton Place, was one of four men caged for their roles in the drug supply network cracked by police as part of Operation Hive.

The trial judge found that the gang distributed around six to eight kilos of heroin - while officers seized drugs worth about £250,000 from homes in Carlisle.

Duncanson was found guilty following a crown court trial.

However, Duncanson's case reached London's Appeal Court as he successfully challenged his sentence today getting it reduced by four years.

Judge David Aubrey QC, said Duncanson deserved a "severe" sentence for his "leading role" in the conspiracy.

But he found that the judge who jailed him took too much account of the local scourge of drugs when passing sentence.

"In all the circumstances the sentence was too high, and indeed manifestly excessive," he concluded, cutting Duncanson's jail term to 16 years.

Lord Justice Simon and Mr Justice Green agreed that the appeal would be allowed.