The incident happened on Dow Crag. Photo: Bob Smith/grough

A man was rescued from a Lake District crag after he got into difficulties retrieving a rucksack from the rockface.

The backpack was knocked over the edge of Dow Crag near Coniston by a dog.

The man, who was walking with a small group on Monday above the crag, scrambled down to try to retrieve it. Rescuers said he reached it, but then fell and became stuck on the steep ground with an injured knee.

Cumbria police alerted Coniston Mountain Rescue Team shortly after 3pm.

A team spokesperson said: “We despatched all three of our Land Rovers, one of which then returned to base to pick up more members since a Dow Crag rescue can need a large team and lots of kit.

“Having located the casualty on the crag, we set up anchors at the top and lowered one of our climbers down to him with a spare climbing harness. We needed 97m of rope to reach him.

“We were able to raise them up to the top of the crag using a 3:1 pulley system with our new clutches.

“The casualty was assessed, given pain relief and treated for leg abrasions, but was able to walk with us down to his party’s car.”

The rescue involved 19 Coniston MRT volunteers and lasted just over 5¼ hours.