Busy 48 hours for Lakes rescuers

Two of the rescues took place on Blencathra

Three injured people were airlifted off the Cumbrian fells during a busy 48 hours for mountain rescue volunteers.

Keswick's rescue team was called out four times over Friday and Saturday to assist with fallen walkers, a suspected heart attack and a biking accident.

A helicopter from RAF Boulmer winched casualties to safety and also assisted the Langdale Ambleside team.

Rescuers in the Lake District had their busiest year on record in 2007, according to recent figures.

Fatalities down

In the Keswick team's first incident, on Friday morning, a 62-year-old Barnsley man fell down crags on Borrowdale, suffering head and back injuries.

Then a male, aged 58 and from Chesterfield, was involved in a similar fall on Blencathra.

On Saturday, also on Blencathra, a man from Wigan suffered heart problems and later that day a mountain biker fell and fractured a bone in his leg near the Langstrath valley.

About 20 volunteers were involved in each rescue.

Last year, Lakes rescuers responded to 425 emergencies - the highest annual figure to date - though the number of fatalities was lower than in previous years.