Mountain Rescue teams help injured mountain biker after fall in Northumberland National Park

Volunteers from Northumberland National Park and North of Tyne Mountain Rescue Teams helped the man on Saturday, August 1, from Usway Burn, a remote part of Northumberland National Park between Shillmoor and Linbriggs and close to the River Coquet.

They say the mountain biker “sustained potentially serious injuries" after falling down a rocky slope, with his companions.

Northumbria Police were called via 999, who in turn contacted mountain rescue.

A small team soon arrived and one of the team medics assessed and treated the casualty’s injuries.

Other team members then hiked to the incident, carrying the team stretcher and additional equipment.

Ensuring they were all wearing PPE, the casualty was placed in a vacuum mattress and moved onto the stretcher.

The volunteers then carried and pulled the casualty back down the valley to an access track to a waiting North East Ambulance Service vehicle, with the incident lasting four hours and 45 minutes.

It comes as the organisation expects to see the number of incidents rise, with more people spend time holidaying in the UK due to the coronavirus travelling restrictions.

Northumberland National Park Team leader Iain Nixon added: “What really helped in this incident was the ability to locate the casualty quickly and we’re grateful to the mountain biker’s friends for being able to tell us where they were.

"Whilst we’ve not seen the huge surge in incidents that others mountain rescue teams have had, we are acutely aware that with more people taking their holidays in the UK, that it’s only a matter of time until we see the number of call-outs creeping up.

"With that in mind, we would ask the public to always plan their adventures carefully; to stay within their limits, check the weather forecast, learn how to map read and to always have enough charge on your mobile phone for that all important 999 call, if you need it.”

The team has said many of its sources of income have dried up due to the pandemic, with any donations to be made through their Facebook pages or websites www.nnpmrt.org and www.notmrt.org.uk.

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