MORE than 600 posts are to be axed as Cumbria County Council in battles to find £50m worth of savings over the next four years.

Council leader Eddie Martin announced the cuts today as he launched a public consultation exercise to discover where Cumbrians believe the axe should fall.

The authority expects nearly half the cuts - £24.8m -will have to be made in 2011/12.

After that £1.2m could be cut in 2012/13; £7.6m in 2013/14; and £16.4m in 2014/15.

However, the final total will not be known until the Government reveals its grant allocations in December.