AN Upper Eden man was found in possession of more than 18,000 illegal images of children, a court has heard.

David Andrew Russell, 36, entered guilty pleas to five crimes during an appearance at Carlisle Crown Court today.

These included the possession of 18,289 indecent photographs of children, and one charge of distributing illegal pictures.

He also admitted three counts of making indecent images of children.

The offences were committed between July 2, 2008, and July 7, 2015.

Police were said to have visited Russell's home after receiving information from an external agency.

Two computers and a memory stick were seized.

These were analysed, and he was found to have made 54 illegal images class as being in category A - the most serious; 40 photographs were classed in category B; and 18,192 in category C.

Judge Peter Hughes QC adjourned Russell's case for the preparation of a background report. In the meantime Russell was remanded on bail.

A condition is that he must not have any unsupervised contact with any child under the age of 16.

Russell, of Nateby, near Kirkby Stephen, was told that in view of his guilty pleas he must sign the sex offenders' register with immediate effect.

He is due to be sentenced at the crown court on Friday, July 29.

Judge Hughes said to him: "It will be for the judge to decide on that date what the appropriate sentence will be."