Lake District mountain rescue call-outs rise by 70%

On Christmas Day 15 volunteers spent six hours rescuing a man from Dove Crag

Cumbria's mountain rescue teams have seen a 70% increase in call-outs during December.

In the first three weeks of the month, there were 31 callouts compared to 18 in 2019, the Lake District Search and Mountain Rescue Association said.

Chairman Richard Warren said it was a "real concern" as many of the rescues were from visitors from tier three or four Covid-19 restricted areas.

He said if an entire team has to self-isolate, it causes a "big problem".

Rescue teams said lost and missing calls increased from six 999 calls in 2019, to 17 this December

Mr Warren added: "These are incidents that could easily be avoided by good planning and preparation, checking the weather forecast and having the right gear and skill to get out of trouble and stay safe.

"Team members are all unpaid volunteers and we must protect them from asymptomatic covid casualties, even more so with the new strain that has already arrived in Cumbria.

"We understand why people want to leave their tier three and tier four areas, taking advantage of the wide open spaces in our parks but please remember that if a team is infected on a rescue it can mean the whole team has to isolate.

"This has to be avoided at all costs."