‘Mobile phone hikers’ given an earful

Mountain rescuers in the Lake District have criticised charity hikers who set out armed only with GPS on their mobile phones and lacking the basic outdoor skills necessary to get up and down a mountain safely.

Wasdale Mountain Rescue Team, which patrols England’s tallest mountain, Scafell Pike, received three call-outs in 24 hours last week, as groups of charity hikers trekked up the 3,209 ft peak while the 90mph Storm Doris tore through the UK.

One party of 36 inexperienced climbers included four terrified teenage girls, two found by rescuers huddled behind a boulder and suffering from mild hypothermia.

Richard Warren, a Wasdale MRT volunteer, said pleas for people wear suitable clothing, plan routes and learn to map-read were falling on deaf ears.