FURIOUS mountain rescue volunteers have hit out at under-equipped and ill-thought out charity expeditions through Cumbria, after three call-outs in 24 hours.

In total, 172 man hours were wasted in the rescue operations, which all took place on Scafell Pike.

Volunteers from the Wasdale MRT were forced to turn out in terrible weather, risking their own lives, to rescue a number of inexperienced walkers, including four teenage girls – two of whom were near hypothermic.

The girls, who were ill-equipped, had been doing a charity walk on Tuesday with a party of 36 people before they were separated.

Two of the teenagers were found by rescuers huddled behind a boulder suffering from mild hypothermia.

Paul Cook, team leader at Wasdale MRT, said: "It is unusual for people to carry out charity walks in winter. At this time of the year they are taking a risk.

"Conditions were extremely poor with forecasted torrential rain and severe winds and visibility down to 20m.

"The descent can only be described as extremely challenging, even for the rescuers, and the four girls needed regular strong encouragement to keep moving."

Rescuers finally brought down the teenagers to Wasdale head car park to be reunited with their friends at about 8.30pm. While carrying out that rescue, the team received a second and third call out.

The second involved a group of four reported overdue from a walk from Seathwaite to Old Dungeon Gill in Langdale. The party made their own way off the fell.

Mr Cook said: "The third incident was dealt with by Keswick MRT, assisted by members of Wasdale MRT, as the missing couple had set off from the Borrowdale side to climb Scafell Pike and were deemed at high risk due to worsening conditions."

The search was called off at midnight but reconvened at 8am the following morning. It involved seven of the Lake District’s 10 mountain rescue teams, the Lake District’s search dog team plus a coastguard helicopter from Prestwick.

The missing couple was eventually located in upper Eskdale at about 11am by the Duddon and Furness MRT. Those rescued were not from Cumbria.

Mr Cook said: "February is not a good time to organise a charity walk with inexperienced walkers."