Patterdale mountain rescuer seriously injured in 500ft fall

Two campers have been fined for breaching lockdown after a mountain rescue volunteer was seriously injured in a fall while going to their aid.

The volunteer, a man in his 60s, fell 500ft (150m) while responding to reports of one of the campers suffering chest pains in the Lake District in the early hours of Saturday.

Patterdale Mountain Rescue said he suffered "significant injuries" and is in a serious condition in hospital.

Cumbria Police fined each camper £200.

The force said one man from Liverpool and another from Leicester were camping in breach of coronavirus rules at Red Screes above Kirkstone Pass.

The Lake District Search and Mountain Rescue Association, which previously thanked people for following the lockdown rules, said the Patterdale team was heading to the campers when one of its volunteers fell down a steep slope.

He was airlifted to hospital while the ill camper was carried out on a stretcher and taken to hospital by road ambulance.

The association said its thoughts were with the camper as "no-one sets out on the fells with the intention of having an accident", but the "simple truth" is the more people who go out in the fells, the higher the number of rescues the teams will have to carry out.

Mike Blakey from the association said: "This rescue and the subsequent life-changing injuries incurred by our team member were avoidable."

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