Pair rescued after breaching Covid rules to climb Munro

Two men sparked a large-scale rescue mission after breaching travel restrictions to climb a Munro in the Highlands.

The pair, who had travelled from Oban, got into difficulty on Buachaille Etive Mòr near Glencoe after one of the men sustained a leg injury.

A total of 25 members of Glencoe Mountain Rescue were joined by police to help the climbers off the hill.

The injured man was taken by ambulance to hospital for assessment and a member of Glencoe MRT suffered an injury during the rescue and is currently undergoing medical assessment.

The pair were each hit with a fixed penalty notice for breaching coronavirus restrictions.

Inspector Kevin Macleod from Highlands & 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 from 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.”