The man broke his ankle crossing a boulder field on Brandreth, which overlooks Haystacks. Photo: Michael Graham CC-BY-SA-2.0

An injured man was airlifted to hospital in an operation involving two mountain rescue teams and an air ambulance.

The 64-year-old was acting as a radio marshal for a 10 Peaks event on Moses Trod, Brandreth, when he slipped crossing a boulder field and broke his ankle.

Keswick Mountain Rescue Team was alerted at 10.40pm on Saturday.

A spokesperson said: “As the location was unclear, somewhere on the boundary for Keswick and Cockermouth teams, both attended.

“The Great North Air Ambulance located the casualty but was unable to put down near him because of unsuitable ground conditions. It eventually landed 500m away. The aircraft doctor then treated the casualty, and personnel from the two teams arrived.”

The mountain rescue team members then had to carry the injured man uphill for 500m to the helicopter, which airlifted him to West Cumberland Hospital in Whitehaven for further treatment.

Seven Keswick MRT members were joined on the fell by eight colleagues from the Cockermouth team. Nine further Keswick volunteers were put on standby at the team’s base during the rescue, which took almost three hours.

The incident was the Keswick team’s 63rd since the start of 2012.