A SQUATTER has been fined for living in an unoccupied house in Kendal for four months.

Gregory Jarvis was found at the property on Low Fellside by the owner in July when he visited it with his wife and son.

The 45-year-old, who was homeless at the time but has since found accommodation at a hostel, admitted he had been staying the house since late March.

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He told police he had got in by climbing the scaffolding and through a bathroom window which had already been smashed.

South Cumbria Magistrates Court heard that the house was uninhabited and had been undergoing renovation for several years.

Jarvis pleaded guilty to the offence and was ordered to pay a £75 fine and £255 in costs and surcharges.