Cumbria's police force is on course to bust its annual budget by £1m, with a predicted overspend rising in recent months.

Warnings were issued last autumn that spending could go above the set budget for this financial year by more than £912,000.

Various factors had contributed to the problem, including the cost of overtime for armed patrols deployed due to the national terror attacks.

Now the force has confirmed a predicted overspend has gone up by £96,000 - and is now set to top £1m.

Policing in the county had a budget set at £112m for this financial year.

The details - providing figures up to December - emerged in a report to the panel overseeing the work of Cumbria's crime commissioner, Peter McCall.

It states the overall forecast overspend is largely due to police pay.

Changes in the make-up of the workforce had contributed - as had a one per cent bonus for officers that came as part of a pay award.

"The remaining overspend on overtime has increased mainly due to the implementation of enhanced patrols to provide public reassurance following the terrorist incidents in Manchester and London," the report adds.

Officers with guns were seen at a number of high profile events in the county, particularly during last summer.

At Carlisle, these included the Cumberland Show, Race for Life and a number of pop concerts.

Armed officers were also seen at Appleby Horse Fair and Cartmel Races - as well as on the streets of places including Barrow town centre.

Cumbria's outgoing chief constable Jerry Graham had warned in the summer that there was no end to the terror threat in sight.

He added people should get used to armed officers being on the county's streets.

Other factors to contribute to the overspend included the funding of a small number of new staff posts and redundancy exit costs.

There have been underspends that have helpted to try to balance the books.

These include vacant posts and a forecast reduction in fuel costs due to low prices earlier in the financial year.

The report will be presented to the Cumbria Police and Crime Panel at a meeting tomorrow, being held near Penrith.

The Cumbria Police and Crime Panel consists of councillors, with members coming from each of the county's authorities, plus independent members.