Lake District mountain sale: Earl 'didn't want to evict tenants

An aristocrat who is trying to sell a mountain to pay off a hefty tax bill has said he chose shifting the peak over evicting people from their homes.

The Earl of Lonsdale, Hugh Lowther, placed the 2,850ft (869m) Lake District mountain on the market for £1.75m.

He said it was either that or break up the Lonsdale Estate, which has been in his family for hundreds of years.

The earl is selling Blencathra in a bid to settle a £9m tax bill from his father's inheritance.
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He told the BBC putting the 2,676 acre plot on the market was his best option to raise the funds.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-cumbria-27289141