“DON’T be afraid to turn back”.

That was the message from mountain rescuers after heavy snow and treacherous black ice brought chaos to Cumbria’s roads and fells.

The warning came as wintry weather led to two cars colliding on an extremely icy stretch of the notorious Kirkstone Pass and the closure of a number of roads, including Wrynose Pass and Honister Pass.

Meanwhile, on the fells, the leader of Langdale and Ambleside Mountain Rescue Team (LAMRT) said nearly all the team’s callouts this month were caused by ice and snow.

“Don’t be afraid to turn back,” said LAMRT leader Nick Owen. “There’s this notion of conquering a mountain. I don’t see it like that.

“It’s so much more than just a challenge and it’s not worth getting injured or dying for.

“The mountains have been there for thousands of years and they will be there tomorrow.

“We want people to go out and enjoy themselves and we don’t want to scare them, we just want them to be safe and prepared.”

Mr Owen added: “Don’t get me wrong, we’ve all been lost before, it’s all a learning process. It’s a matter of being careful and a lot of the times when an incident has happened it is just bad luck.”

On Sunday, emergency services, including the Great North Air Ambulance and mountain rescue teams from Patterdale and Ambleside, were called just before 11am to the crash which involved a Toyota and a Volkswagen Passat.

Patterdale Mountain Rescue Team told the Gazette a motorist had lost control of his vehicle while descending into Patterdale and had been seriously injured in the resulting collision.

Fire crews also attended and had to free a casualty from one of the vehicles.

A Cumbria Police spokesperson said there were no life-changing or life-threatening injuries.

This week has seen police attend 10 more callouts across the county due to hazardous wintry conditions.

These include a collision on the A591 at Ambleside Road, Windermere, due to ice, as well as a crash on the A6 between Levens and Heversham on Tuesday morning.

Earlier this month a car was left stranded on Hardknott Pass due to ice and an elderly couple was rescued by Wasdale Mountain Rescue Team.

Richard Warren, chairman of Lake District Search and Mountain Rescue Association and member of Wasdale Mountain Rescue Team, said the strong message he wanted to send as the winter season bites was to be well prepared when venturing in the outdoors.

“Don’t go on the fells unless you’re prepared for the conditions,” he said.

“But if people do go out and they need us they shouldn’t be embarrassed, they need to call us.

“Please do think properly before you call as we will always respond but people leave their jobs and families to come.”

By the end of the year, the Lake District’s mountain rescue teams will have received around 570 callouts - at least 30 per cent of which were avoidable, said Mr Warren.

“People need to think before they decide to tackle the high passes and fells and make sure they’re properly prepared, as venturing out in harsh conditions unprepared you will be risking your own life as well as emergency services.”

Mr Warren is also encouraging people to remind themselves of Adventure Smart, the multi-agency awareness campaign aimed at helping people be better prepared and trained for time spent in the outdoors.

“We volunteer for rescues because we love the mountains and we can use our knowledge and experience to help others who aren’t so fortunate,” added Mr Warren, who has been with the mountain rescue for 35 years.

Police are also urging motorists to take note of road closure signs during this time of year.

Inspector Steve Minnikin of the mobile support group said: “In wintry conditions it is essential that motorists drive in accordance with the conditions.

“Lower your speed and set more time for your journey. It is much more important that you arrive safely than it is quickly.”

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