A man who used a blade to slash the face of another man has been jailed for more than five years.

Following the case, police have warned there was no place for knife crime in Cumbria as Alastair McCallum was imprisoned following his sentencing at Carlisle Crown Court.

McCallum, 30, of Lowther Street, Kendal had slashed the man in Highgate, Kendal, on May 26.

He used a small, plastic-handled Stanley knife-type blade after at first confronting his victim, who he knew.

The injured man was treated at hospital for the wound to his face.

Investigations led to McCallum’s arrest, and a search of him revealed a blade matching the description of the one used to slash the victim.

McCallum admitted wounding with intent and having a blade or point in a public place.

He was jailed for five years, with two months added for breach of a previous suspended sentence.

Detective Constable Andrew Wright, the officer overseeing the case, spoke after the sentencing.

He said: “We hope the sentence handed out today acts as a serious deterrent to anyone out there tempted to carry a blade or use one.

“This was a vicious attack that could have had even more serious consequences.

“Fortunately, in Cumbria we do not have a specific knife crime culture and we continue to see a lower number of incidents than in other areas of the UK.

“However, we take this issue extremely seriously. Any criminal use of knives or blades will not be tolerated.”