Published at 12:17, Thursday, 21 March 2013

MOUNTAIN rescue teams were called to more than 400 incidents during 2012 and said the ‘wettest summer on record’ may have led to low visitor numbers.

In his annual report, Richard Warren, chairman of the Lake District Search and Mountain Rescue Association (LDSMRA) said visitor numbers to the area were down 25 per cent which may have impacted on their 432 call-outs.

The figure was up slightly on 2011 but nothing like the “worrying trend of previous years” which included a record 600 in 2010.

“We still see tragic events and the fatality rate remains high with 22 deaths,” he said. “The majority are non-winter hill-walkers.”

Despite the levelling-off of call-outs, Mr Warren said they had seen a doubling of incidents in which they were called out to help the emergency services.

“A significant part of this rise is due to increased cooperation between local mountain rescue teams and the ambulance service,” he said.

The association – an umbrella organisation which represents Cumbria’s 12 mountain rescue teams – dealt with 203 injured people during 2012, down slightly on the previous year.

The majority were for ankle injuries (54), head injuries (27) and spinal injuries (22) and 79 broken bones.

Mr Warren said fundraising was ‘an ongoing and very important task’ for the teams, with each one needing to find between £30,000 to £80,000 a year.

He said education and awareness of the dangers for ill-prepared walkers remained a ‘prime concern’. “Hopefully in time the message will get across,” he added.

“I make no apology for repeating this mantra every year if it helps save a single life.”

Published by http://www.whitehavennews.co.uk