The men travelled to climb Buachaille Etive Mòr. Photo: Johnny Durnan CC-BY-SA-2.0

The men travelled to climb Buachaille Etive Mòr. Photo: Johnny Durnan CC-BY-SA-2.0

Police issued fixed penalties to two walkers following an incident in which a rescuer was injured.

Police Scotland said the pair travelled from Oban to climb Buachaille Etive Mòr in Glen Coe on New Year’s Eve.

The penalties were imposed for breaking Covid-19 travel restrictions.

The two walkers called for help when they got into difficulties on the descent of the mountain.

A Police Scotland spokesperson said: “One of the men had sustained a leg injury which resulted in 25 members of Glencoe Mountain Rescue attending on foot to locate the men and safely assist them off the hill.

“The injured man was taken by land ambulance to hospital for assessment. During the rescue, a member of Glencoe MRT suffered an injury which is currently undergoing medical assessment.”

Inspector Kevin Macleod from the Highland and Islands police division said: “The men had travelled from Oban to hike this route, and found themselves in difficultly as the light was fading at 3.25pm when police and MRT were called.

“The rescue took a total of 108 man hours and the team stood down at 7.30pm. Both men, aged 21 and 27, were issued with fixed penalty notices for breaching travel regulations.

“We continue to ask people to take personal responsibility to do the right thing and remember the purpose of these measures is to aid the collective effort to protect the NHS and save lives by preventing the virus from spreading.”

Andy Neilson, team leader of Glencoe Mountain Rescue said: “We will always continue to provide the vital MRT service that we are committed to.

“However, the volunteers assisting the men did feel vulnerable due to the inevitable close contact required and we have to prioritise the health of our members in order to continue to provide this vital service.”

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