A bank with royal connections is expanding into Cumbria by appointing a private banker as its representative in the county.

Coutts & Co, which claims to be the UK's leading private bank, has named Ian Booth from Ulverston as its private banker for Cumbria and north Lancashire.

Mr Booth (pictured left) is a well-known face in the local banking world, having worked for Barclays Bank in Barrow, Lancaster and latterly Kendal for 20 years before taking up his new post.

He is looking to raise the profile of Coutts in the region while maintaining and increasing the bank's clients, who typically tend to have liquid assets of more than £500,000.

"I am delighted to be joining Coutts at a time when there is such an increasing commitment to expansion of the Coutts service throughout the UK. I am looking forward to working with a highly successful team in order to bring our wealth management services to a wider audience,"

Coutts, whose clients include the royal family, has run a private banking service for more than 300 years.

Mr Booth said Cumbria was viewed as a growth area by the bank.