A YOUNG climber was rescued by Lake District mountain rescuers after he was injured in a fall.

A dozen members of Keswick Mountain Rescue team spent nearly four hours helping the man, who fell as he attempted to climb down Sharp Edge in drizzly conditions on Wednesday afternoon.

In a statement, the rescuers said: "After climbing Blencathra from Mungrisdale a young man, after considering his options, decided to descend via Sharp Edge.

"The weather was cloudy with a fine drizzle falling and everything was slick with moisture.

"At the bottom of the steep initial descent and just at the start of the Sharp Edge traverse the man slipped on the extremely greasy rock and fell about 10ft, bashing his shoulder and twisting his ankle."

The man was carrying two ice axes and it was one of those that stopped him falling further, said the statement.

It continued: "In pain and somewhat shaken up, he called 999 and asked for mountain rescue help.

"A team of five quickly set off from Keswick base in the Land Rover shortly followed by a Sprinter with further team members in case the casualty needed to be stretchered down.

"The team made their way up Mousethwaite Comb, up past Scales Tarn and along Sharp Edge to find the casualty in good spirits but getting cold after his wait.

"The man was harnessed up and given a helmet before being rope-lowered down to awaiting team members on what is known as the Chicken Path from where he could be safely walked off."

The rescue took three hours and 55 minutes on Wednesday afternoon.