Man who saved Ullswater honoured at ceremony

The man who saved Ullswater from being turned into a reservoir has been honoured at a ceremony at the Cumbrian lake.

And his grandson was there to see his descendant, Norman Lord Birkett, remembered with a new slate memorial carved in his name.

In 1962, half a million people signed a petition opposing plans to meet increased demand for water by Manchester at the cost of the Lake District.

Lord Birkett persuaded the House of Lords to reject plans to raise the level of the water by three feet which environmentalists say would have destroyed its natural state.

His speech was heralded as one of the most powerful ever heard in the House. Two days later Lord Birkett died from a heart attack.

At the unveiling at Pooley Bridge yesterday his descendant, Tom Birkett, said he's very proud of what his grandfather achieved. The memorial stone was engraved by local artist, Pip Hall.

WATCH our reporter Wes Smith's report below