Walker badly hurt in 100m fall on fell

Swirral Edge, between Helvellyn and Catstye Cam, is a popular route with walkers

A walker has been seriously injured in a 100m (330ft) fall in the Lake District.

The man, who had been with his son, tripped from Swirral Edge towards Red Tarn on the descent from Helvellyn shortly before 17:00 BST on Saturday.

A coastguard helicopter was able to winch medics down to the casualty and he was flown to the major trauma unit at Royal Preston Hospital after being placed on a stretcher.

The recovery operation took five hours, Patterdale Mountain Rescue Team (PMRT) said, with a spokesman wishing the walker a "swift recovery".

A Great North Air Ambulance helicopter had also responded from Teesside but was unable to get safely to the site of the fall and instead had to land on the summit of Helvellyn.

PMRT said the man had been going down Swirral Edge when he tripped - tumbling down rocky terrain.

Treated for "serious trauma", he was "given strong pain relief and packaged in a vacuum mattress" before being airlifted for further treatment, the spokesman said.