PEOPLE are being urged to use professional equipment and techniques while exploring mines.

Cumbria Ore Mines Rescue Unit (COMRU) issued the warning after hit YouTube channel Exploring with Fighters filmed a video of themselves exploring the inside of a Coniston copper mine.

The video shows inexperienced participants using no essential safety equipment, according to COMRU’s Team Leader Cris Jones.

Following this, Mr Jones believes the channel’s members showed a complete disregard for their own safety.

He said: “We are aware, not for the first time, of videos circulating on social media that show people, inexperienced in underground exploration, filming themselves going down disused mines in Cumbria.

“We have no trouble rescuing anyone who gets into trouble through no fault of their own.

“If you are fooling around like they were, on top of these big drops, if anything goes wrong you are going to fall down there and we are going to have pull them out.

The Mail:

“Like I said, we don’t mind helping anyone who has legitimately got themselves into trouble, that’s what we are there for.

“But when you are deliberately ignoring any type of safety standard, you begin to question why.”

Despite this, the unit were not needed to rescue the group.

However, Mr Jones is adamant that the channel’s members were lucky to leave the mine unscathed and could have faced severe consequences.

As a result of this, COMRU are now concerned that there will be people who attempt to emulate what they have watched in the video.

Mr Jones explained: “These videos are encouraging other people to put their lives and my team’s lives at risk.

“It’s all fun until the unthinkable happens.”

Mr Jones has asked people to reach out to experienced explorer societies, such as the Cumbria Amenity Trust Mining Society and Adventuresmart.