A WEST Cumbrian search and rescue team were tasked with a missing person search - as part of their vital training sessions carried out regularly.

A Lost & Missing Person Search along the beach, cliff coastal paths and fields for a missing elderly resident of Coulderton was the basis of last night, October 3 training for the Whitehaven Coastguard Rescue Team.

The Officer In Charge (OIC) quickly set search teams to work on searching the immediate hub area.

In a statement the Whitehaven Coastguard Rescue Team said: "With teams now on the ground and more details of the circumstances being fed to the OIC, they assessed the wider circumstances, medical conditions and behaviour profiles. On completion of the hub being cleared, Search Team Leaders were then assigned new areas of responsibility.

"All the while the necessary search records regarding; the areas searched, Probability of Detection, Limitations and Risks, decision making etc was being recorded in the search pack.

"With a "find," medical assessment and treatment of the casualty was then undertaken, after which they were extracted to a handover point for the next level of care."