A 'TIDAL wave' of avoidable rescues is putting a real strain on mountain rescue teams and the police.

Since last Friday evening there has been 19 callouts in the Lake District, nine of them featuring the Wasdale team.

"Eleven of the callouts were truly avoidable with inexperienced and ill prepared walkers finding themselves in serious, life threatening trouble being either missing or lost," said Richard Warren, chairman of Lake District Search and Mountain Rescue Association (LDSAMRA).

He is appealing to people to exercise within their limits and stop taking risks.

Wasdale Mountain Rescue Team cover Scafell Pike, the highest mountain in England and a magnet for walkers and climbers.

"Many of our walkers and climbers are very experienced and know exactly what they are doing," said Richard. But there are others who are causing real problems.

"Cumbria Police and the Lake District’s mountain rescue teams have seen a tidal wave of avoidable rescues that is putting a real strain on our volunteer team members and is unsustainable," said Mr Warren.

"The Cumbria weather, which was accurately forecasted this weekend, has caught out many but Cumbria Police have also commented that many are dialling in 999 calls with as little as 1% battery remaining on their mobile phones," said Mr Warren.

"This means that after the initial call their battery dies and the mountain rescue team cannot get back to them which makes finding them a bigger challenge requiring more numbers of the volunteers."

He said many are relying on smart phone mapping apps which drain batteries and have no back up. Staycation holidays are introducing a new type of visitor to the National Parks and the current quarantine rules has the potential to make the matter worse, he added. "The same is being felt across many of the UK’s outdoor holiday destinations, great for the economy but a real issue for the volunteer rescue teams," he said.

The advice is clear: Exercise within your limits and avoid taking risks. Know your level of skill, competence and experience and those of your group. Make sure you have the right equipment for your trip to the hills and valleys noting that many of our callouts are low down in the valley bottoms. Learn how to navigate, take a water proof map and a compass, don’t rely on smart phone technology it can let you down. Take a torch, even on the longest days, you never know when your activity will catch you out or you go to the help of a fallen, cragfast or lost walker. Take a power bank battery charger it will save you a lot of grief plus allow you to take even more of the memory photos.