Crag Hill, or Eel Crag, where a lightning bolt struck the ground between walkers

Four walkers were injured when lightning struck in three separate incidents on neighbouring Lake District fells.

The freak electric storm struck during an hour-long period yesterday afternoon in an area above Buttermere yesterday, leaving four people in hospital.

A 50-year-old man was left unconscious after being thrown about 9m (30 feet) after being struck while walking on Lad Hows, near Grasmoor about 2.30pm. He also suffered a leg injury in the strike and was airlifted by a Royal Navy Sea King helicopter from HMS Gannet to West Cumberland Hospital in Whitehaven. The helicopter was already in the area, responding to a request for help from Langdale and Ambleside Mountain Rescue Team which had gone to the aid of a man who had dislocated his shoulder in a fall from Jack’s Rake.

A 60-year-old woman also sustained leg injuries after a bolt struck the ground between her and another walker on Crag Hill, also known as Eel Crag, knocking them both off their feet. She too was airlifted, along with others in her group, off the fell to the Buttermere Hotel and a waiting ambulance.

A third casualty was a woman in her 30s whose hair was singed by a lightning strike to her head on Whiteless Pike. She was with a party of six.

None of the injured walkers are believed to have serious injuries. They were helped by members of the Cockermouth and Keswick Mountain Rescue Teams.

The operation was described by the Royal Navy crew as ‘scary’ as lightning struck around the helicopter and they flew through torrential rain and gusty wind.

A Royal Navy Sea King in action

Lieutenant Tim Barker, the aircraft’s observer, said: “The weather conditions were very tricky and each time we arrived on scene we weren’t really quite sure what we were going to find.”

The observer is responsible for navigation of the aircraft and relaying a constant flow of information about potential hazards and situations arising to the pilots.

“Flying through the storms brings its own challenges and so it was all about applying whatever practical operational experience we’ve had during our years in helicopters, as well as all the learnt theory,” he said.

“But it all went well, even if it was a little on the scary side at times. Obviously throughout we were working in conjunction with Cockermouth and Keswick MRTs who were co-ordinating, as well as the ambulance service – so it’s all quite a team effort.”

Lightning is one of the most difficult weather hazards for walkers to deal with, especially on the hills, because the tendency is for the strike to take the shortest route to earth, often the summit or a pinnacle. The advice is, with the onset of an approaching storm, usually signified by towering cumulus cloud, to get to safer terrain, away from summits.

The safest ground in a thunderstorm is a hollow or dip, with higher ground either side. Crags and ridges are prone to strikes, as are trees and overhangs. Ideally, walkers and climbers should sit out in the open hollow, with their rucksack or sleep mat or some other insulating material below them. The ‘safe’ distance is the equivalent of the height of any crag above the walker, though a gap of at least 3m should separate the walker from the crag base. The hands should be kept on the knees rather than on the ground. Humming or sparking metal materials are a sign a strike may be imminent.

The distance of lightning from a walker can be worked out by timing the sound of the thunder from a strike, which takes about 3 seconds per kilometre.

The helicopter, crewed by pilots Lieutenant Al Hinchcliffe, Lieutenant Guy McCallum, observer Lieutenant Tim Barker and Petty Officer Marcus ‘Wiggy’ Wigfull – an aircrewman and qualified paramedic – finally returned to pick up the injured Langdale scrambler and fly him to hospital.