Sharp rise in mountain rescue call-outs in Cumbria

People getting lost or injured are the main reasons the team is called out Credit: Wasdale Mountain Rescue Team

Members of the Wasdale Mountain Rescue Team say they have seen a rise in the number of call-outs in recent weeks.

They have been called out eight times in six days taking the total across the Lake District to 21 in under a week.

Despite hospitality businesses recording fewer visitors to the area, the mountain rescue team has been called upon 20% more than pre-pandemic.

The team has used money donated to them to set up a website to encourage walkers to be better prepared Credit: Wasdale Mountain Rescue Team

Chair of the Lake District Mountain Rescue Teams Richard Warren said: ‘There are new people coming up that have not experienced the mountains before. A lot of people are having knee operations and hip operations now after the pandemic and I think there are an awful lot of people coming down off the high fells, hobbling down, tripping, falling.

In an effort to prevent some of the call out the team has invested £50,000 of their donations into AdventureSmart, a website giving advice on how best to prepare ahead of a trip out and about in the Lake District.