Scout party rescued from mountain

Walkers are warned not to go out in treacherous conditions

Members of a scout group were rescued by helicopter after they became trapped on a mountainside in a blizzard.

The group of 10 youngsters and adults had intended to spend the night in a cave on the 2,000ft Dove Crag, but became trapped in heavy snow and gales.

The Patterdale and Langdale mountain rescue teams plucked them to safety after being alerted by a member of the public who saw them up there.

An investigation into whether the group was properly equipped has begun.

Equipment

The group, from the Southport area in Merseyside, had been planning to spend Saturday night in Priest's Hole in the Fairfield Horseshoe, but the weather became too bad.

They had set up tents and were huddlling in sleeping bags on a snowy ridge when the rescue teams found them.

The group managed to call for assistance on a mobile phone but then the battery went dead.

Police are now preparing to interview the leaders of the scout pack who would have set off amid warnings of gales and heavy snow.

We will want to know that they properly checked the weather forecasts and had the right equipment Insp Paul Kisack, Cumbria Police

Inspector Paul Kisack, of Cumbria Police, said : "It was an incredibly dangerous time to be in the mountains, especially with the weather the way it was.

"These mountains can be very dangerous, especially for young children.

"None of the group needed hospital treatment but they were lucky," he added.

"We will want to know that they properly checked the weather forecasts and had the right equipment," Insp Kisack said.

The whole party, aged between 10 and 20, is now safe but two teenagers needed treatment for mild hypothermia