Lake District mountain rescue teams see 12% drop in callouts

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Lake District mountain rescue teams say they have seen a 12% fall in the number of callouts in 2019.

Lake District Search And Mountain Rescue Association say all teams operating in the the national park, except Coniston, saw the number of times volunteers responded to calls reduce.

The Cockermouth team responded to the last emergency of the the year - a man in his 60s had fallen and broken his arm while descending from Scoat Fell. He was treated at the scene, before being picked up by Rescue 656 - the Coastguard Rescue helicopter from Caernarfon.

For the new year, the association hopes a national campaign called AdventureSmart will start to make some headway in reducing the 30% of, what they call, 'truly avoidable rescues.'

It encourages people who visit the county every year to keep themselves safe when out walking on the fells by falling three simple steps:

  • Do I have the right gear?

  • Do I know what the weather will be like?

  • Am I confident I have the knowledge and skills for the day?

Credit: PA

A spokesperson from Lake District Search And Mountain Rescue Association said: "Thank you again for your support, without your donations and the dedication of all our unpaid team members we would not be able to support our communities the way we do."

"Long may the ethos of a free Mountain Rescue Service last."

Here are some of the incidents the team responded to in 2019: