Members of the group aiming to buy Blencathra have received threatening phone calls and emails, the Telegraph is reporting.

Police are investigating after two members of the Friends of Blencathra said they received sinister phone calls and links to threatening Youtube videos over the course of the last month, during which time they have attempted to raise funds to buy the mountain.

A video received by the campaigners is said to have depicted the pretend garrotting of a man, while another showed a group of people in a rural location with the caption: "In our national forests there are currently 400 unsolved cases of missing persons. Often the bodies are never found."

One of the campaigners said they also received a phone call in which they were told to “back off” from the bid to have the mountain registered as an asset of community value.

Read the full story of the threats in the Telegraph.

News of the threats have come to light after the group appeared to be making progress in its efforts. Despite earlier reports the mountain had been sold to an unknown buyer, on Tuesday the group said they ‘anticipated success’ as they announced their latest bid had been considered by Lord Lonsdale’s agents.

Friends of Blencathra chair Debbie Cosgrove said: “This is believed by all involved to be of significant interest to the vendor and to provide them with an offer so attractive that it is likely to result in acceptance by the lead trustees. We anticipate confirmation of this success later this week and will of course keep you informed.”

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