A couple who spent the night sheltering in the Lake District mountains may owe their lives to a plastic bivvy bag, rescuers say.

More than 70 rescuers from six mountain rescue teams spent just over 11 hours looking for the couple, who did not return from their walk up Scafell Pike on Tuesday.

An initial search for the couple by Keswick, Wasdale and Duddon and Furness Mountain Rescue Teams (MRT) had to be called off because team members couldn't stand up in the driving wind and rain.

The hotel where the couple were supposed to be staying alerted Keswick MRT when the walkers failed to return from Scafell.

Keswick and Wasdale MRT were just returning from another call out on Tuesday night when they heard about the incident. They had been called out to search for a family, including two teenage children, who were missing on a walk between Seathwaite and Great Langdale.

The 15 rescuers and two search dogs stood down after they were told the family had turned up at Wasdale Head Hotel.

Wasdale MRT were also involved in another rescue earlier in the day to help find four women aged under 20 who had become separated from their party of 36 walkers doing a charity walk up Scafell Pike.

When the team found the girls huddled behind a boulder, two were suffering from deepening hypothermia. The team helped the inexperienced walkers slowly down from the mountain.

Just as Keswick and Wasdale team began to stand down from the second rescue at 8pm, they received the call from the hotel about the couple overdue from their walk up Scafell Pike.

The couple had left no details about their route but their car was located at Seathwaite, where they had told the hotel they would park.

Keswick and Wasdale MRTs set out again and with the help of Duddon and Furness MRT, covered as much ground as possible. However, the weather worsened to the point where a decision was taken to stand down the search.

At 8am this morning the search resumed and was scaled up. More than 70 rescuers from Keswick, Penrith, Cockermouth, Kirkby Stephen, Wasdale, Duddon & Furness and Langdale Ambleside teams were involved as were six search dogs and handlers and the S92 Coastguard helicopter.

Many rescuers were airlifted by the helicopter up to a higher level for the search.

About three hours later, the couple were found in Eskdale by a member of the Duddon and Furness MRT.

A spokesman from Keswick MRT said: "They were cold, exhausted and stunned by the ferocity of the weather. They had spent 14 hours in a plastic bivvy bag, waiting for daylight & a break in the weather, before trying to walk out. Their bivvy bag may well have saved their lives.

"The S92 flew from Keswick to pick them up, and they were then given hot food and drink to warm them up at Keswick’s base. Keswick MRT then arranged transport for them back to their hotel."

Many of the rescuers then walked down to various collection points and coordinated transport brought them back to Keswick MRT's base for soup and sandwiches, provided by the local WI group.

Keswick MRT thanked the crew of Rescue 999 from Prestwick, who flew in very testing conditions, and their neighbouring teams who helped out.

In total the search involved: 22 Keswick team members, 49 members from Penrith, Cockermouth, Kirkby Stephen, Wasdale, Duddon and Furness and Langdale Ambleside teams; 6 search dogs and handlers for a search lasting 11 hours 16 minutes.