Cumbria’s very own vampire story has made it into a book that explores the UK’s haunted past.

Britain’s Haunted Heritage by John West dives deep into the history of the Croglin Grange vampire that is said to stalk the area.

The Croglin vampire is one of the UK’s only “genuine” account of a vampire attack – it first became widely publicised by Augustus Hare in 1896.

Mr West decided to explore the tale as it is one that has stuck with him since he was a child.

He said: “I had a few sleepless nights worrying about vampires trying to climb through my window after reading it.

“The story always remained in the back of my mind and when I decided to write my book it was an obvious choice as it was so horrifying.”

Aside from being one of the only examples of a vampire attack in the UK, he found the story interesting purely for how incredible it was to simply picture it.

The book lays the facts of the story bare in attempt to determine the legitimacy of the local legend.

This presented Mr West with a particular challenge as there were several accounts and embellishments to the story as it was spread.

He said: “The most interesting part for me is the fact that the story was attributed to the 19th century.

“Imagine a vampire stalking Victoria’s England.

“It was only when I researched it that it became clear the tale dated from a much earlier time - the 17th century.”

West asks the question of did the Croglin Grange - as mentioned in the vampire tale - ever exist and if it did, what happened to it.

He comes to his own conclusion in the book about whether or not the story is true but he doesn’t entirely dismiss the idea.

“I don’t believe there was a real vampire,” Mr West said.

“I conclude in the book that the ‘creature’ was probably someone living rough in the churchyard.”