A popular fireworks show has been cancelled, as organisers say a "claims culture" has made it impossible to run.

Dalston fireworks display, which has been held in the village annually for more than 30 years, will not return this November 5.

The decision comes after the free event attracted its biggest ever crowd in 2017, with about 2,500 people in attendance.

Alan Dinning is chairman of the Dalston Recreation Association, the group behind the show. The association made the decision to cancel the show at a meeting on Wednesday evening.

"We're really, really upset," he admitted to the News & Star .

Mr Dinning explained how a string of insurance claims made against Dalston Recreation Association in the past year had raised the cost of insuring a future fireworks display.

Three claims have been made against them: one was rejected; one is still pending; and, last Friday, the association learned that one claim had been upheld.

"We've got to pay out," said Mr Glendinning. "Last year the cost to insure the show was about £400. This year, because of this insurance claim, it would cost about £1,500.

"The fireworks display itself costs us between £1,200 and £1,300."

The successful claim against them also means that insuring the association's recreation centre is now more expensive.

"It's upped our buildings insurance by 30 per cent," Mr Dinning continued.

"We never experienced anything like this until recently in all the years we've done this."

The pending claim against the association means it cannot get a cheaper quote from a different insurance company.

"We're frightened that if we go ahead we're going to jeopardise the future of our recreation centre. It's not so much about the cost, we just can't risk another claim.

"It's getting worse, these claims," Mr Dinning added. "But this is the claims culture that we're in now."

None of the insurance claims made against Dalston Recreation Association stemmed from their fireworks display. Instead, they related to incidents that occurred on the association's land.

Derek Thompson, a resident of Dalston for the past 28 years, went to the firework display each year.

"The firework display means a lot to the village. It will be a big miss," he said.

"It is sad, a lot of people enjoy the fireworks display. People wouldn't just come along from Dalston they'd come from Carlisle as well.

"A lot of people will be disappointed. We'll have to go to Carlisle now."

Mr Dinning agreed: "We're the last village around here to be able to put on a fireworks display.

"It's been very important not just to Dalston but to people in Carlisle too.

"It's been important to our community."