A man caught with the blade of a Stanley knife while in the grounds of a Carlisle school has been jailed.

Children had already gone home for the day by the time Anthony James Davidson was seen inside the perimeter of Inglewood Community Nursery and Infant School, in Harraby.

Police were alerted to a "suspicious" male on the site, at about 5.25pm on Thursday, January 12.

When they investigated, 42-year-old Davidson was found to have the blade - minus a handle - in his pocket. In an interview he told an officer he had the implement to "scare people off and protect his life".

Davidson was sentenced at Carlisle Crown Court today having previously admitted one charge of possessing an article with a blade or sharp point on school premises.

At the time of the crime he was subject to a suspended prison term imposed in late 2015, after he chased youths while wielding a machete near his Petteril Bank Road home in the city.

Davidson was given a 15-month prison sentence by Judge Peter Davies, who described the small blade as "vicious" and "capable of causing serious injury".