Last updated at 11:39, Thursday, 07 February 2013

POLICE have said there is an 'innocent explanation' for a woman wearing just a dressing gown being spotted running across a main road between Barrow and Ulverston.

At 8.01am this morning, police were called by a member of the public who reported seeing a white woman, aged in her mid-30s, around 5ft 4in with short dark hair and of a slim build run across the coastal road near Aldingham. She was wearing a dressing gown and slippers.

Police officers including dog handlers, coast guard, Bay Search and Rescue, air support, and mountain rescue were deployed to search the area to locate the woman and check on her welfare.

At 10.55am, police confirmed that the search had been called off because there was an innocent explanation behind the incident and thanked members of the public for their assistance.

After circulating the appeal, a woman from Aldingham contacted the inspector leading the search, Kevin Spedding, via his Twitter account
@KevinSpedding and also contacted Cumbria Constabulary’s Twitter page, @Cumbriapolice, to inform officers that the woman in question was her and that she rushed across the road in order to take a photograph.

Insp Spedding said: “Thankfully, the woman we were looking for was safe and well and made contact with us to let us know the circumstances of this morning’s sighting.

“There was a perfectly innocent explanation for her actions this morning however we are grateful to the members of the public who
alerted us to their concerns.

“We would much rather be called out to a false alarm than have people be afraid to contact us with any concerns - as we could miss an
opportunity to help.

“This incident also shows how effective social networking can be. We were instantly able to communicate with a wide section of the local
community who follow us on Facebook and Twitter. I’d urge everyone to follow Cumbria police, @Cumbriapolice and the local community should follow me on Twitter @KevinSpedding, so that they can get instant information about police activity in their area, wherever they may
be.”

First published at 10:07, Thursday, 07 February 2013
Published by http://www.nwemail.co.uk