Mountain rescue help men 'knee-deep in snow' in Lake District

Mountain rescue were called to help nine men down a mountain after they were caught in "blizzard conditions".

Cumbria Police contacted Patterdale Mountain Rescue's duty leader at 18:49 GMT on Saturday.

The group, from the Manchester area, needed assistance returning from the summit of Helvellyn after being caught in "knee-deep snow".

Nobody was injured in the rescue, which took almost four hours and involved three rescue team members.

It was established that the group had set off "far too late in the day" and did not have maps or compasses to assist them in navigating the area.

The group got into difficulty when it got dark during their climb of the summit.

Their decent from the mountain was monitored by the duty leader via messages and phone calls.

Two vehicles were dispatched to take the group back to their own vehicles to return to their accommodation.

The nine men were "extremely grateful", the rescue team said.

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