2008 Incidents, Call Outs and Other Events

Numbered Incidents are reported to Mountain Rescue - England & Wales

43. 25th December Search 09:30 hrs Whitewell, Bowland. Request from Police to continue the search for the missing male from the previous day. Intention was for a Police Support Unit to research the wooded areas and for the Police helicopter to research open ground. Team dispatched one Landrover to provide backup. On arrival Team was immediately tasked to pick up the casualty who has been located, alive by the Police helicopter. Team members treated the person and handed him over to NW Ambulance Service.     (10 Rescue Person Hours)

42. 24th December Search 13:14 hrs Whitewell, Bowland . Team paged to search for a male who was reported to be in a distressed state. Missing since the previous day but vehicle only located on Christmas Eve. Reported as having good outdoor clothing.  Extensive search of fields, woods & open moorland around the Whitewell area undertaken. Dogs had partial indications in an area of dense wood. This proved to be particularly difficult to search, as it was a dangerous tangled mess of fallen pine trees. Nothing found.   Team stood down at 21:00 hrs. Other units involved included Police helicopter, 2 Police Support units & dogs. Search dog from Cave Rescue Organisation and our own Trailing Dog Unit.   (142 Rescue Person Hours)

41. 23rd December Search 22:27 hrs Savick Brook, Lea, Preston. Request to search for a missing male reported as depressed and may self-harm. Possibly, missing since pervious day.  Search of the “Millennium Link” of the Lancaster Canal undertaken. Nothing found and stood down at 03:30 hrs on Christmas Eve. Trailing dog unit assisted in this search. Police Underwater Unit, tasked with a first light search of canal locks, arrived as we departed.     (95 Rescue Person Hours)

Post Script. At 05:30 hrs the missing person returned to his home location apparently unharmed.

40. 6^th December Search 19:12 hrs Adlington, Chorley. Team requested to search for a male who was giving concern for his whereabouts. Last seen some 24 hours earlier near the Leeds & Liverpool Canal in Adlington. Team Leaders  & Trailing Dog Unit deployed to the Police Station in Adlington to gather more information and undertake initial search. Rest of Team brought to standby, vehicles and water rescue equipment readied.  Trailing Dog handler, having obtained a scent article belonging to the missing person reported that it appeared that the person was unlikely to have left the Place Last Seen. This was confirmed shortly afterwards when the North West Police Underwater Unit recovered a body from the canal. Our thoughts and sympathies are with the person’s family at this sad time.   (42 Rescue Person Hours)

S20.  3^rd December Standby Bad Weather Cover 09:00 Hrs All of Team Area   With bad weather, high winds and snow expected in the next 12 – 24 hours a request was received from North West Ambulance Service (Lancashire) to provide support & backup services. Arrangements made for two of our Landrover’s to be available to assist if required from midnight. Team stood down at 08:00 hrs on 4^th December as most of the snow in the west of the county had changed to slush and temperatures had risen slightly. No incidents to report.  (40 Rescue Person hours)

39. 22^nd November Spot Pick-Up 13:00 hrs Sykes, Trough of Bowland.  Team Incident Controllers paged by Lancashire Police with a report of a male suffering from a nut allergy near Sykes Farm in the Trough of Bowland. Full Team immediately paged and three Team members sent directly to the incident from our Smelt Mill HQ. Team members located the casualty near Trough House just as the Air Ambulance arrived. However, the allergy reaction was not as severe as first thought and the Team was able to escort the person off the fell.  (16 Rescue Person Hours)

38. 12^th November Search. 00:12 hrs Sedbergh, Cumbria.  Team was contacted directly by the Team Leader of Kendal MSRT. They had been searching for a woman who had been swept away when her car went into the River Dee, between Sedbergh and Dent. The river was in flood following very heavy rain. The car itself had been washed downstream for about a mile. Team travelled to Sedbergh for 08:00 hrs joining other teams from Duddon & Furness, Swaledale & the Cave Rescue Organisation who were also called to assist.  Teams were deployed, including our swift water rescue technicians, to search the banks of the Rivers Dee, Rawthey & Lune. SARDA were also deployed. Sadly, a body was located at about 10.30 hrs near Middleton Bridge on the River Rawthey about six miles downstream from where the car entered the water.  Our thoughts are with the family and friends of the lady. (30 Rescue Person Hours)

37. 8^th November Spot Pick-Up Stoodley Pike, Todmoorden.  While attending a Casualty Care Study Day hosted by Calder Valley Search & Rescue Team one team member assisted CVSRT who were called out to a fell runner with a dislocated knee. (1 Rescue Person Hour)

36. 20th October Search 10:07 hrs Haslam Park, Preston. Request from Lancashire Police to search for a 26-year-old female reported missing and known to sometimes sleep rough in the Haslam Park area. Team commenced search of the park and Lancaster Canal but we were stood down at 12:10 hrs. The missing person had been located at Royal Preston Hospital having been evacuated by the NW Air Ambulance some hours before the Team were paged! A member of the public had found person on the canal towpath earlier in the day. Search strategy did include a check of the towpath. (30 Rescue Person Hours)

S19. 13th October Search Advice 14:00 Hrs Leyland. Team Leader contacted by a Police Officer making enquires about a male who had been missing for 11 days and possibly camping in the Lake District. 

35. 12th October Rock Scrambling 13:10 hrs Jack’s Rake, Pavey Ark, Langdale, Cumbria. Two Team members having just completed Jack’s Rake became aware that Langdale Ambleside MRT had been called out to an incident half way up the rock scramble. A 77-year-old male had sustained a head injury. They returned back down the route, administered first aid and awaited the arrival of the Langdale Ambleside Team. They then assisted LAMRT, supported by Kendal MSRT & an RAF Sea King helicopter to evacuate the gentleman from the hill. (10 Rescue Person Hours)

Langdale Ambleside MRT incident 2008 / 80

34. 12th October Search 12:24 hrs Skelmersdale. Team requested to search for a 63-year-old female last seen in the Concourse area of the centre of Skelmersdale two days previously. A search of Tawd Valley Country Park was undertaken, this being in a direct line from the place last seen to the person’s home. Task completed and nothing found. (54 Rescue Person Hours)

Post Script. Unfortunately, the missing person was located, deceased, in the dockland area of Preston a week later.    

33. 10th October Search 20:24 hrs Swinton, Manchester.  Bolton MRT again requested the use of our trailing dog and handler in the search for a 75-year-old female. Dog gave some indications of trails around the woman’s home address, which were investigated. (3 Rescue Person Hours)  

Post Script. The missing person was located the following day by a member of the public some distance outside search area.

Bolton MRT incident 2008 / 102

S18. 1st October Standby Search 07:00 Hrs Grange-over-Sands, Cumbria. Kendal MSRT requested the use of our Trailing Dog Unit in the search for a missing vulnerable female. Fortunately the missing person was located, safe before deployment.

28^th September. Yorkshire Dales. The Team once again provide safety cover for the 3 Peaks Cyclo Cross in the Yorkshire Dales. The usual array of cuts and bruises presented at our First Aid station at the finish line.  There were two hill incidents: 

32. 28th September Spot Pick-Up 13:00 hrs Whernside.  On the descent from Whernside a male fell and dislocated a finger and sustained lower leg injury that was bleeding quite badly. The casualty, a medical doctor, gave instruction to a team member who realigned the finger and the cut was bandaged. The person was then walked to a waiting Team Landrover and was evacuated from the hill. (4 Rescue Person Hours)

31. 28th September Spot Pick-Up 11:00 hrs Ingleborough. Team received reports that a female had fallen and sustained a shoulder injury near the summit of Ingleborough. Team members, all ready positioned on the descent route were dispatched from the summit checkpoint and soon located the casualty who had already walked a fair way off the hill and provided treatment. Casualty was escorted to waiting Team Landrover to be evacuated from the hill. (8 Rescue Person Hours)

S17. 20th September Standby 17:30 Hrs Saddle Fell, Trough of Bowland. Team Incident Controllers contacted by Lancashire Police with a report of a family of three tired and lost in the Bowland Hills. We were able to contact them by mobile phone and determine they were in the Saddle Fell area. Police Helicopter located missing persons and, in two trips, was able to land and evacuate to Dunsop Bridge. Team remained on standby until the helicopter had completed task. (4 Rescue Person Hours)

S16. 14th September Standby Search 11:51 Hrs Gorton, Manchester. Trailing Dog Unit contacted direct by Team Leader of Bolton MRT. They were searching for a 10-year-old male in the Gorton area on Manchester.  Stood down just after setting off when the good news came that the boy had been located safe. (1 Rescue Person Hours) 

Bolton MRT incident 2008 / 91

30. 11th September Search 18:22 hrs Hindley, Manchester. Team Leader from Bolton MRT requested the use of our Trailing Dog Unit.  This time to assist in  the search for 63-year-old female who was giving cause for concern. Person had been missing for approximately 24 hours and local searches had produced no results so Mountain Rescue called in. A scent article was obtained from the person’s home and the missing person was quickly located a short distance from then place last seen. The second find for dog and handler recently - see Incident 29. (4 Rescue Person Hours)

Bolton MRT incident 2008 / 90

S15. 17th August Standby Search 01:41 Hrs Clevellys, Fylde. Team paged concerning a missing 78-year-old male described as vulnerable. This was in an urban situation where the Team does not usually operate. On the map there appeared to be one route into open country from the PLS (Place Last Seen – in this case his home) that the missing person could have followed. However, a Police dog handler had already covered this and the area had been flown over by the Police Air Support Unit using thermal imaging equipment.  After consulting with Team dog handlers, incident controllers and the Police it was decided not to deploy. (2 Rescue Person Hours)

Post Script. The missing person was located in Preston the following morning having possible travelled to Manchester.

29. 13th August Search 16:47 hrs Dolphinholme. Request from Lancashire Police to search for a 36-year-old female reported missing from her home in an area of extensive farmland and woods. Full Team placed on standby and requested to move to our bases to ready vehicles. Search Dogs contacted and Team Incident Controllers tasked to RV with Police at missing persons home. Once the plan of action had been determined a full Team page was activated. In the meantime a suitable scent article had been obtained from the person’s home and our Trailing Dog Team set about the task of finding the person. A trail was obtained and this lead straight to the missing person some 500 m away. Person was uninjured. Two search dogs & handlers from SARDA (Lakes) and one from SARDA (ENGLAND) also assisting the 19 members of the Team who also responded. Police Air Support also used (88 Rescue Person Hours)

S14. 9th August Standby Search 22:05 Hrs Ribbleton, Preston. Request to search for two youngsters, aged 7 & 8, who had not returned home. However, as the Team was assembling they turned up, safe. 

28. 8th August Search 01:02 hrs Garstang. A request to search for a missing female in the Garstang area described as vulnerable and high risk. This turned out to be the same person as Incident 12, 2008 and the third for this location this year - see Incident 1, 2008. Therefore, a well-defined search area, strategy and pre-plan were in place for this incident. Trailing Dog Unit were sent to the person’s home to get a scent article and determine a direction of travel, air scent dogs were sent to the same area where the person previously located with Team members searching the high-risk areas of the Lancaster Canal and other waterways. Trailing Dog determined that person might not have left the immediate area of her home. Shortly afterwards a Team member located the missing person, knee deep in the canal but trapped by saplings and undergrowth that had stopped her from entering deeper water. Person was quickly removed from the canal and checked by the Team. She was then returned to her home where she was further checked over by paramedics from North West Ambulance Service and was thankfully uninjured. Three search dogs and handlers from SARDA (England) & SARDA (LAKES), Lancashire Fire & Rescue Urban SAR Unit and Police Air Support also involved.  (42 Rescue Person Hours)

27. 28th July Search 15:09 hrs Chesterfield, Derbyshire. Trailing Dog Unit requested to search for missing 43-year-old male. Request from Derby MRT. Dog handler and one additional Team members (to act as support/navigator) set off for Derbyshire but were stood down on route when the person was located. (5 Rescue Person Hours)

S13. 17th July Standby Search 20:10 Hrs Clevellys, Fylde. Team Leader was contacted direct by a Police Officer enquiring as to the availability of trailing dog as a second high risk  person was now missing in the Fylde area. Officer was aware of our involvement in Incident 26 and due to this we were unable to assist. 

26. 17th July Search 18:39 hrs Stannah, Fylde.  Within 24 hours of the previous incident we again found ourselves working with the Coastguard. This time searching for a 77-year-old male reported missing from Fleetwood and giving cause for concern. A possible sighting at Stannah Country Park had been received from a member of the public and this was an area person known to frequent.  The Coastguard tasked with searching the salt marsh area of the River Wyre supported by inshore RNLI boat from Fleetwood. Team tasked with searching Country Park, coastal footpath and farm land from Skippool Creek towards Fleetwood. Trailing dog used having obtained a scent article from the missing person’s house but no indications. One search dog from SARDA Lake District was also used.  Team stood down at 01:30 hrs with the person still outstanding. (100 Rescue Person Hours)

Postscript. The missing person contacted his family later in the day to say he had spent the night in a nearby hotel. 

25. 16th July Search 20:23 hrs Knott-end-on Sea. Lancashire Police Force Incident Manager requested the Team to assist in the search for a missing elderly male, described as vulnerable and high risk, in the Knott-End-on-Sea area. Positively last seen the previous day but not reported missing until 18:00 hrs. Due to the close proximity of the sea (and a rising flood tide) it was decided to work with the Maritime Coastguard Agency SAR personnel. They could search the potential wet bits and we would stay inland on the dry bits. However, the torrential rain put paid to any ideas of staying dry. It is some years since we last worked with the MCA (Morecambe Bay Cockling Tragedy, Incident 8, 2004 & Heysham Head, Incident 11, 2007). Trailing Dog Unit used around the missing person’s home. Identified search areas of the coastline, a golf course, ponds and farmland completed. Search dog from Cave Rescue also in attendance. The Team stood down at 02:30 hrs with the person outstanding. Police requested to conduct search of housing area and sea front as trailing dog had some direction indications but none led to open country. Thanks to the Coastguard for allowing us to take over their base at Knott End and set up out Incident Control.  (120 Rescue person hours)

Postscript. At 04:20 hrs the missing person was located safe, in Fleetwood, having apparently taken the passenger ferry across the River Wyre.  The last one due back to the tides was 14:00 hrs the previous afternoon.

24. 16th July Spot Pick Up 14:09 hrs Whins Brow, Trough of Bowland. Team Leader contacted by Team member who was at our Smelt Mill Headquarters in the Trough of Bowland. A member of the public had arrived with a report that a female member of a group of students he was in charge of had suffered an Asthma attack and was unconscious on the Ouster Rake Track, Whins Brow. At 14:15 hrs Team Controllers paged by Lancashire Police confirming the incident following the 999 call from Smelt Mill by the group leader. Three Team members immediately deployed from Smelt Mill via Trough Barn & Trough House towards the location of the casualty. Full Team page initiated. Request made for helicopter support but none immediately available. A further report was received that person was making their way off the hill. Team members located the casualty on the track by Trough House and she was evacuated to Smelt Mill. Paramedics carried out a check up on the casualty but further treatment was refused and the Team stood down at 15:03 hrs.   (15 Rescue Person hours)   

S12. 7th July Standby Search 20:45 Hrs Padiham. Team Leader was contacted by Rossendale & Pendle MRT’s Deputy Team Leader. RPMRT were searching for a high-risk 64-year-old female. Weather conditions had been poor during the day with torrential rain.  Request for BPMRT to be on standby to provide support.  Team remained on standby for an early morning start but stood down at 07:15 hrs when news can that the woman had been located, safe, some miles outside the search area. A SARDA dog from the Cave Rescue Organisation assisted in the operation.   

S11. 6th July Standby Search 12:22 Hrs Lancaster / Morecambe Area. The second incident was for a missing female. It was soon established that there was very little to go on. No suitable search areas for the Team could be identified with the main Police effort being in urban areas. It was quickly decide to stand down the Team pending further information with 20 persons available or responding. 4 SARDA search dogs from the Lake District also available.  (40 Rescue Person hours)

23. 6th July Search 12:22 hrs Hest Bank, Morecambe. Lancashire Police Force Incident Manager requested the Team to attend the Morecambe area. They had two ongoing unrelated incidents involving high-risk missing persons.  The first incident was a 26-year-old male who had threatened to self-harm. Team was brought to standby, Team Leader and Incident Controllers dispatched to Morecambe Police Station to plan the search strategy. An obvious initial start was a search of the shore and farmland. However, news soon came that the missing person had turned up, safe. This allowed us to concentrate on the second incident.  

22. 1st July Search 08:39 hrs Fulwood, Preston. Team requested to search for a 54-year-old female from the Fulwood area. Missing since the previous day and said to be on a distinctive mountain bike. It was decide to search all footpaths in the area where a mountain bike could reach. Unusually for the Team when on a search incident we did not request assistance from search dogs, as is our standard practice. Search control was set up at Preston Grasshoppers Rugby Club.   For sometime now we have been experimenting with the use of mountain bikes in the search role. This was an ideal opportunity to try this out. Using mountain bikes Team members we able to quickly search sections of the Lancaster Canal including the Millennium Link to the River Ribble.  However, after seven hours covering all the footpaths in the area on foot and with mountain bikes we stood down with the person outstanding. (130 rescue person Hour)   

Post Script. The missing person was located a few hours later on a minor road just outside the search areas by a member of the public and was taken to Royal Preston Hospital for a check up.

21. 25th June Search 16:30 hrs Aughton near Ormskirk. Team requested to search for a 14 year old male who had been missing since the previous day and was thought to be camping out at a local beauty spot. Team stood down on route when he returned home of his own accord. (130 rescue person Hour)   

20. 24th June Search 02:31 hrs Brockholes Wetland Reserve, Preston. At 01:34 hours Team Leader contacted direct by a Team member who was on-duty with Lancashire Fire & Rescue Service. He gave a “heads up” that cries for help had been heard in the area of the new Brockholes Wetland Centre at Ribbleton, Preston. 2 persons had been located and a further 2 were still missing. He anticipated they would need extra assistance. At 02:31, after consultation with Lancashire Police, a full Team page was issued. However, we were soon stood down when the missing persons were located hiding. It is believed they were charged with wasting Police time. (20 Rescue Person hours)

S10. 13th June Standby Spot Pickup / Search 17:42Hrs Gisburn Forest. Bowland. Team Controllers received an urgent page from Lancashire Police with a report of an elderly female suffering from Asthma and “one hour from their transport” at the Cocklet Hill Car Park. Just as a full Team page was about to be initiated information was received that the lady had been able to reach her transport and was on her way to hospital for a check up. (1 Rescue Person Hour)

19. 2nd June Search 17:48 hrs Anglezarke Moor. Team requested to assist Bolton Mountain Rescue Team in a search of Winter Hill / Anglezarke Moor for a missing male who was giving cause for concern. His car had been located at Hordern Stoops where Bolton MRT had set up Incident Control. Following consultation with Bolton’s Team Leader it was agreed that we would search the quarries at Anglezarke & Leicester Mill, the path from White Coppice to Great Hill and Lead Mines Clough. The search would then expand on to the open moor tops. Just after the Team deployed Bolton MRT members located the missing person. He was a few hundred meters from Incident Control and returning along Spitlers Edge to his car. Rossendale & Pendle MRT also in support. (40 rescue person Hour)   

18. 24th May Spot Pick Up 11:43 hrs Astley Park, Chorley. Team paged directly by Lancashire Ambulance Service with a report of male mountain biker having fallen in woods at Astley Park. Initial report was person was unconscious with a severe eye injury, down steep bank and a 500m carry, North West Air Ambulance on route. A team member who lives in Astley Village was on scene very quickly and established that the ground was not that steep and the Air Ambulance had landed close to the casualty. The extraction was not as complicated as first expected. (10 Rescue Person hours)   

S9. 16^th May Standby Search 15:59 Hrs Blackburn Town Centre.  Team Leader received request from a Lancashire Police Search Advisor (POLSA) as to the availability of our Trailing Dog Unit. A 3-year-old boy had now been missing for some hours in Blackburn Town Centre.  Trailing Dog Unit stood down responding when the good news came that the lad had been found, safe, having apparently got on a bus and taken a trip to Bolton & back!

17. 11th May Spot Pick Up 07:37 hrs Grizedale near Garstang. The Team responded to a report of a male with a lower leg injury in the Nicky Nook area. After some initial confusion about the exact location of the casualty he was eventually located on a track near Grizdale Reservoir. He was apparently a member of a group of youths who had been camping out. Team was able to access direct to casualty site with 4 x 4 vehicles. Team Landrover then used to evacuate the youth to waiting land ambulance for onward transport to Royal Preston Hospital. Air Ambulance tasked to the incident but stood down responding. (24 Rescue Person Hours)

16. 10th May Spot Pick Up 11:26 hrs High Bullough Reservoir, Anglezarke. The Team was requested to assist the North West Ambulance Service (Lancashire Area) with a female fell runner who had fallen and sustained lower leg and shoulder injuries. The casualty was carried on a Bell stretcher some 400m to the waiting Air Ambulance for onward transport to Royal Preston Hospital. (25 Rescue Person Hours)

15. 6th May Search 23:50 hrs Gillibrand, Chorley. Request by Lancashire Police to search a wood and pond area for a 39 year-old male who had gone missing in the Gillibrand area of Chorley.  Team stood down at 04:00 hrs having completed allocated tasks. Team contacted again at 10:00 hrs on 7^th May with a request to research previous areas and expand the search. However, as searching was about to recommence it was realised that the missing person was an unidentified person who had been involved in a serious incident on the West Coast Main railway line the previous day. The Team extends it’s condolences to the missing persons family.  (81 rescue person Hours)       

14. 29th April Search 19:40 hrs Staining near Blackpool. Team requested to search for a 46 year old male described as depressed and possibly suicidal. Person was known to be a fisherman so search concentrated around all the ponds and areas of open water on farmland adjacent to Staining Village, around Marton Mere and the local golf course. Teams trailing dog unit used around the PLS (Place Last Seen). Two search dogs from the Lake District assisting with the golf course.  The terrain was a bit flatter than their normal operational area! Team stood down at 00:30 hrs when the person turned up at his home address.  (130 rescue person Hour)