Mountain team carry out back-to-back rescues

Northumberland rescue team at the Cheviot Hills

A mountain rescue team carried out back-to-back rescues after two men were injured on Monday.

In a joint effort, the Northumberland National Park and North of Tyne mountain rescue teams helped someone who fell into Kielder Water, before rescuing a man close to the peak of the Cheviot Hills.

Some volunteers involved in the first rescue had to travel about 32 miles (51km) from that scene to the Cheviot Hills.

A spokesperson for the rescue team said that back-to-back rescues usually occur in the summer when more people are out in nature.

The first rescue happened at about 15:06 GMT on Monday, after a man fell into Kielder Water following the collapse of a bank near its edge.

He was able to get out of the water with the help of his family but had injured his leg and so was unable to move.

About a dozen mountain rescue volunteers attended the scene, where they put the man on a stretcher and transferred him to an ambulance.

The mountain rescue team setting up a stretcher at Kielder Water

The second rescue, which occurred at about 17:18, involved four men who had walked up the Cheviot Hills.

One man had injured his legs and was unable to walk properly, said Will Close-Ash, a spokesperson for the rescue team.

Due to night falling, the low temperatures on the hill, and the worry that the man would need to be stretchered all the way down the hill, the rescue team mobilised 31 volunteers.

“It highlights how potentially serious it could have been,” said Mr Close-Ash.

“When you’re stretching somebody, you’ve got eight people on the stretcher – you can maybe go for 500 or 600 metres before you need to change people,” he said.

“It can be quite a long process.”

The team walking down the hill

Fortunately, the team found that the man was able to walk and so not every volunteer was required.

By 19:45 everyone involved was safely off the hill, Mr Close-Ash said.

He said the men had done the right thing reaching out to the team.

“When accidents occur or when you are unsure if you need assistance – it’s always best to call,” he said.