Rescuer suffers "life-changing" injuries helping Covid rule-breakers

A mountain rescue volunteer has fallen 150 meters down a fell side whilst attending to a camper on Red Screes.ITV Border understands the man has sustained serious spinal injuries and facial fractures and is facing a long recovery and "life changing injuries".The Patterdale team were called to two campers in the early hours of Saturday morning as one was experiencing chest pains.But near the top of Red Screes the rescue went horribly wrong. Visibility was poor on the top amid snow flurries and it was very, very cold due to significant wind chill brought in by stronger winds. Rescuers say the man thinks he slipped, falling 150 meters. The team then had to turn their attention to their more serious casualty, their friend and colleague.

In what's been described as a long and difficult rescue, the team have praised the HM Coastguard, which flew in difficult conditions to get the man who is being described locally as a "hero" to hospital, where he remains in a serious but stable condition.Penrith and the Langdale and Ambleside Mountain Rescue Teams were called in to assist the original casualty, helping him off the mountain.

But there's growing anger in the Lake District as the Mountain Rescue Teams say the call out was "completely avoidable" and the men "shouldn't have been in the Lake District".

Cumbria Police says one of the campers was from Liverpool, the other from Leicester and the two had car-shared to drive to the Lake District to walk and camp, in contravention of lockdown restrictions. They have both been fined £200.

ITV Border understands the man with chest pains has made a recovery.