Carlisle received an unusual and eye-catching visitor on Monday of this week, with transformer Optimus Prime spotted in the city centre. 

The awe-inspiring leader of the Autobot forces can be seen outside The Entertainer toy shop until 4 pm on Monday, as part of the promotion for the new Transformers: Rise of the Beasts film, which was released in June. 

The truck, which sadly cannot transform due to health and safety reasons, can also be seen in Workington on Tuesday and in Barrow-in-Furness on Wednesday this week. 

Andy Graves is the man behind the wheel, and he takes Optimus Prime up and down the country for fans of the franchise to enjoy. 

He said: "It's something for the kids to come and look at. It's free, we've got posters and stickers to give away. It's just a great opportunity for children and fans of the film to come and take a look at the truck."

"I drive it all over the place, you definitely get a lot of looks and attention when you're driving up the highway and on the motorway. People slow down, take photos, and want you to blow the horn.

"The truck has come from Texas originally. It's owned by Hasbro but I look after it for them and do events for them at toy shops and comic cons."

The Entertainer is running a competition for people to share photos of themselves standing next to Optimus Prime and is selling a range of Transformers toys in store.