A series of slips by walkers kept a Cumbrian rescue team busy this week.

Keswick Mountain Rescue Team was called to the aid of three people on Monday in separate incidents. Callouts for the team are up 35 per cent on the same time last year.

In the first incident, a woman slipped and injured herself while walking on wet ground near Ashness Bridge in Borrowdale. The volunteer rescuers were called at 12.50pm to help carry the walker to a waiting ambulance crew at the scene. She was taken to Cumberland Infirmary, Carlisle, for treatment.

Two hours later, Keswick MRT was alerted to an incident in which a walker had slipped on the fellside above Harrop Tarn, west of Thirlmere. 11 team members treated the man at the scene, then carried him by stretcher to meet an ambulance at the roadside, which took him to Cumberland Infirmary.

While the team was attending to this walker, it was alerted to a third casualty who had slipped and sustained an ankle injury. Extra rescuers were called out to help the team which was already on the fells helping the man on the Wythburn Fells on the second incident. The casualty was taken to Keswick Cottage Hospital then transferred to the Cumberland Infirmary.

The previous day, Sunday, 18 members spent two hours searching the fells in Comb Gill, Borrowdale, after a member of the public reported hearing shouts for help about 5.30pm. No-one was found – the incident being judged a well-intentioned false alarm. While on the search, the rescuers were alerted to two separate walkers who had been reported overdue. However, as the MRT was investigating, they turned up safe and well.

The incidents take this year’s total so far to 43 for the Keswick team, compared to 28 by this time last year.