Mountain rescuers' warning after rise in call outs

Rescuers have urged people to go into the mountains prepared after a spike in the number of call outs this year.

Richard Warren, of the Lake District Search And Mountain Rescue Association (LDSAMRA), said it had received 770 calls by the end of November - a rise of 20% compared to the same period last year.

He also urged hikers to stay at home this weekend as Storm Darragh hits bringing high winds and rain.

"I think it's a weekend for staying at home and watching a box set to be honest," he told BBC Radio Cumbria.

In October teams were called out 70 times, an "unusually high number" for the time of year.

Mr Warren said love for the Lake District's "fantastic scenery" fuelled the increase.

"If people were to check the weather, they would probably decide not to go as high as they would normally go and do the valley bottom walks instead," he said.

"But I think if you've been planning a Three Peaks challenge for a some time, are you going to be deterred by the weather?

"And I think that's the problem, people will say: 'well, it can't be as bad as the weather forecast is' and that's the problem."

Winds of up to 90mph are expected across the UK over the weekend.

Parts of Cumbria's coastline have been given an amber warning for wind on Saturday, with a yellow warning in force for the rest of the county.

Mr Warren said venturing into the mountains this weekend would be an "extreme risk".

"There will be people, I suspect, who go up Helvellyn's Striding Edge.

"We just hope people will be sensible and look at the weather forecast," he added.

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