CUMBRIA'S best known transporter has set off on a new journey.

Eddie Stobart Logistics has become the fifth company from the county to join the London Stock Exchange.

It began trading on the Alternative Investment Market at 8am yesterday (Tuesday) , raising £120m when the firm put 81.3m shares on the listing service in what was the biggest initial public offering (IPO) of 2017 so far.

Staff were offered the chance to buy shares.

Alex Laffey, chief executive, said: "The completion of the IPO process is a key milestone for Eddie Stobart.

"We have received strong interest from investors and we are excited to begin this new period as an independent company with the appropriate capital structure to take advantage of growth opportunities in the supply chain and logistics market."

The company had a steady first day of trading, with shares entering the market at £1.60 each and closing the day at this price. They hit a high of £1.62 just after 9.10am and fell to a low of £1.50 just before 1pm.