A man on trial over an attempted hair salon break-in has told jurors he wasn’t the burglar.

Neil Ivison, 37, faces two charges following an early morning incident at Barberella Hair and Beauty in Workington. He denies attempting to burgle the Vulcans Lane premises, on May 23, and possessing an axe in a public place.

On day two of his trial at Carlisle Crown Court, two police officers told jurors how they responded to reports of suspicious activity just before 5am.

PC Michael Sewell and a colleague approached black metal security gates at the rear of Barberella which were open. Ivison was seen holding a bag next to a door which had been partially forced. Some glass in the door had been smashed.

Ivison was said to have told PC Sewell “there is only my clothes in the bag”, and said he was in the area because he was homeless.

A hammer and axe were also found in the bag. Ivison was arrested and, said, PC Sewell, had small pieces of glass “on the bridge of his nose and under his eyes”.

But, giving evidence, Ivison told the court he was merely “killing time” outside the hair salon. Earlier that evening, he argued with his partner and had been left homeless. Seeking somewhere to sleep, he noticed a gate behind Barberella was open and saw a hairdressing chair in the yard.

While sitting on that, he heard voices and became aware of two men approaching. “They basically started attacking the door,” said Ivison, recalling that a crowbar and hammer were used.

Asked by his barrister, Greg Hoare, why he didn’t then leave the area, Ivison replied: “I felt really anxious. I knew I shouldn’t have been there.

“I felt intimidated. There were two of them. I was by myself.”

Ivison, of Hunday Court, Workington, said the duo then “scurried out” of the yard. “They did say they were coming back. They just left the bag and that was it.”

Police then arrived. Ivison claimed the “glass” seen by officers around his head was actually dry skin.

He claimed the salon owner was a friend he knew as “Barberella”, adding: “She is a well known person in the hairdressing industry.”

Ivison knew her real first name but not her surname, he said.

The trial continues.