The Lake District Mountain Rescue Association has spoken out to issue an urgent warning to the public after two walkers from Manchester were rescued from Scafell Pike during a blizzard earlier this week.
The two fell walkers from Manchester, who were described as being “unprepared”, had to be rescued after getting lost on England’s highest mountain during a blizzard conditions and were eventually brought to safety in the early hours of Tuesday morning.
Mountain rescuers spent eight hours looking for the men on the Lake District fell, and warned that if they hadn’t been found, it’s likely they would have died.
Richard Warren – Chair of the Lake District Search and Mountain Rescue Association – was part of the rescue team, and explained to the MEN that: “The two lads from Manchester hadn’t done the preparation [as] they hadn’t got the right clothing, they had no waterproofs.
“It was blizzard conditions. They had no compass, no torches [and] they weren’t even sure where they had parked their car.
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“They were very grateful that we found them, but it was very lucky that we did [because] we had great difficulty contacting them on their mobile phone and if we hadn’t found them, they would have had to spend the night on the hill in sub-zero blizzard conditions and then it would have been a very serious, life-threatening situation.
“But we did what we always do and got them warm, put some waterproof clothing on them and took them back to the road where they got a taxi back to their car in Keswick.”
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Mountain rescuers spent eight hours looking for the men on the Lake District fell / Credit: Lake District Mountain Rescue Association
With cases such as this happening in significant numbers, the Lake District Mountain Rescue Association has urged day trippers to properly plan their walks after what was described as an “absolutely chaotic” Christmas period.
Richard Warren said his teams were called out a record 680 times in 2021, and the start of 2022 had been “just as busy”.
Mr Warren said there had been two callouts on Christmas Day in the Lake District, and there had been a “very sad end to the year” when a man died after a medical episode on Skiddaw on New Year’s Eve.
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In the first four days days of 2022, there were another 19 call-outs.
Mr Warren said lockdown has meant many inexperienced walkers are coming to The Lakes for the first time and heading to the fells without proper gear or knowledge, so rescue teams are now pleading with people to check weather forecasts and whether they have the right gear before they take to the mountains.
Rescue teams were called out a record 680 times in 2021, and the start of 2022 had been “just as busy” / Credit: Wasdale Mountain Rescue Team
“We are trying to get the message out about the importance of preparation,” Mr Warren said.
“A lot of rescues are avoidable because people get lost with no map, compass or torch [so] we really we want people to start thinking about what they are doing, when they are doing it and to check the weather.”
All Lake District rescue teams are manned by volunteers and rely on donations from the public.
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Mr Warren told the BBC that he was “extremely proud” of the all the volunteers at the 12 rescue teams in Cumbria, and also praised all those who make donations to keep the teams running – with about £750,000 a year needed across all the Cumbria teams.
“We do it unpaid,” he said.
“Mountain rescuers don’t want to be paid. They do it because they love the mountains and love helping people.”
Greater Manchester’s heritage railway issues statement as it’s forced to cancel services this week
Emily Sergeant
Greater Manchester’s iconic heritage railway has been forced to cancel its services this weekend due to the heatwave.
In case you hadn’t heard, Amber Extreme Heat warnings and heat-health alerts have been issued by the Met Office and the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) through to Thursday this week – with temperatures widely exceeding 35°C nationwide, and in some areas – particularly on the south coast – potentially even reaching 38°C.
Heatwave conditions in the UK are met when a location records a period of at least three consecutive days with temperature values meeting or exceeding the heatwave temperature threshold for that location.
It does seem, however, that northern parts of the country – especially the North West – are missing most of the extremely hot conditions.
Current forecasts indicate that the peak temperatures for Greater Manchester this week will be tomorrow and Thursday, with highs of 33°C in the city centre.
Despite not reaching the heights of the south, East Lancashire Railway (ELR) has still had to act in advance and has taken the decision to cancel its scheduled services for the next two days as the forecast is ‘too severe’.
Taking to social media to share its decision today, ELR wrote: “Due to the current weather warning for the UK, the decision has been taken to cancel all services on Wednesday 24th and Thursday 25th June 2026, including the afternoon tea and mid-week luncheon dining experiences.
“The welfare of both staff and customers is paramount to the ELR, and we believe that the risk in the extreme heat that has been forecast is too severe to allow for the running of our ordinary services.”
As things stand, ELR says its current plan is to have services resume with the evening dining train on Friday 26 June, but this will still be ‘subject to review’, and further updates on this will be issued later in the week.
Visitors who have already pre-booked services over the two cancelled days will be contacted via email to have their options explained to them.
“We apologise for any inconvenience,” ELR closed out its statement.
Featured Image – ELR
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TfGM issues safety warning and advice for travelling on public transport during extreme heat wave – including ‘get off’
Daisy Jackson
Transport for Greater Manchester has urged passengers to ‘stay safe’ when travelling as the city braces for an extreme heatwave this week.
As well as issuing some safety advice, TfGM has also warning that delays and disruption are possible across the network as temperatures climb as high as 36ºC on Wednesday and Thursday this week.
Customers are being advised to carry water with them when travelling, and to wear light clothing.
Also included in the travel advice is to ‘get off’ public transport at the next stop if you feel unwell, to seek fresh air.
It’s also advised to allow more time for your journey and to check the latest information and advice before setting off.
And most importantly, passengers are asked to look out for each other, especially those who are vulnerable.
The Bee Network may experience disruption later this week as the overhead lines that power the trams and trains are often adversely affected by high temperatures.
TfGM’s Customer and Growth Director, Fran Wilkinson, said: “Very high temperatures are forecast this week that can affect both people and the transport network.
“We will have staff out to help those who need it, and I would encourage customers to take a few simple steps to stay safe and comfortable while travelling, such as by carrying water, travelling at cooler times of the day and looking out for others.
“Due to the heat, there may be some disruption to Bee Network or local train services and I would encourage people to check for the latest information and advice before making their journey.”
TfGM advice for travelling in heatwave
Carry water and drink plenty of fluids
Avoid travelling during the hottest part of the day where possible
Wear light clothing and stay in the shade
If you feel unwell while travelling, get off at the next stop and seek fresh air
Plan your journey, check for the latest information and advice before setting off and allow extra time to make your journey
Look out for other passengers who may need help, especially those who are more vulnerable
Bee Network staff will be out across the network to help passengers, who can get the latest travel information and advice by checking the website or app.
Emily Sergeant -
6th January 2022 
