大象传媒

As Easter weekend approaches, mountain rescuers are warning they're coming under increasing pressure to pick up calls from stretched emergency services. New figures seen by 5 Live Daily reveal mountain rescue teams across England and Wales had the busiest summer months on record last year. Around 50 teams of volunteers responded to almost 500 incidents between July and September 2014- the highest number since records began in the 50s. The majority of incidents in England and Wales are recorded in the Lake District.
Richard Warren is the chairman of the umbrella group of twelve mountain rescue teams in the Lake District. He told 5 Live Daily "I've always said we are our own worst enemies as volunteers because we have multiple skills and the police and ambulance recognise it .... The police are more and more asking us to help with urban searches in the towns because we have the skills in searching...
I think mountain rescuers are more than happy to serve our wider community not just the mountains now, and we just have to keep a very close watch to make sure we are not taken advantage of. Mr Warren added "the police in Cumbria are aware of it - their numbers are reducing - they've said to us we will call on you more and more." This clip is originally from 5 Live Daily on Tues 31 March 2015.