The River Greta at the site of the search at Keswick. Photo: Rob Burke CC-BY-SA-2.0

More than 50 volunteer mountain rescuers took part in an overnight search for a missing woman which ended with the discovery of a body.

Keswick Mountain Rescue Team was joined by colleagues from the Cockermouth team at 6pm yesterday after the woman’s car was found at Forge Lane in Keswick.

Police confirmed the body found more than six hours later in the River Greta was that of Elizabeth Fisher, 69, who lived in the town.

Earlier in the afternoon, Keswick MRT members were called out by police after reports of ‘strange activity’ below the snowline on Jenkin Hill on the lower slopes of Skiddaw.

Eight rescuers were involved in a search of the area which revealed the activity was someone planting trees.

The search resumed after the discovery of Mrs Fisher’s car at the site near the river.

Lake District Mountain Rescue Search Dogs members joined the two teams in a hunt for the missing woman, including the former railway line toward Threlkeld and surrounding wooded and open areas and the southern and eastern slopes of Latrigg.

A Keswick team spokesperson said: “Swiftwater rescue technicians from Keswick MRT searched the river and river banks from upstream Low Brier to Wivell Bridge Keswick.

“The search operation continued over a seven-hour period resulting in the discovery of a body, which was subsequently recovered from the river and handed over to the relevant authorities.”

Mrs Fisher was reported missing when she failed to ring from her home after visiting a relative in Lamplugh on Monday morning.

The search involved 30 Keswick team members, 17 from Cockermouth and 10 search dogs and handlers.