Demand on mountain rescue teams 'unsustainable' ahead of busy summer season
Thousands of visitors are expected to flock to the area to experience the scenic views of Eryri National Park, also known as Snowdonia, over the coming weeks.
But mountain rescue teams and police on the ground are urging people to be prepared before scaling the heights of Wales 's largest national park.
It comes after officers recently shared the tragic story of how volunteers discovered the remains of missing walkers David Brookfield and Shayne Colaco, the latter of whom had been missing for 12 years, on the same day last year.
Owain Llewelyn, Chief Superintendent at North Wales Police, told Sky News there had been a "significant increase" in the number of visitors to the area since the lifting of COVID restrictions in 2021.
"With that increase in numbers, we've seen a significant increase in demand as well," he said.
"I think it's fair to say that this time of year, people who come to visit North Wales are really excited about their trip.
"For the people who are part of mountain rescue teams and the blue light responders, it's actually the time of year in many ways we dread, because we know that that significant increase in demand is going to come."
Chief Superintendent Llewellyn said it was important for people to understand their limits.
"It's about understanding that the weather conditions on the summit can be dramatically different and it's about understanding that getting to the top is not the be all and end all of the day," he added.
"So actually, if people are starting to get tired, it's about stopping, being realistic and turning round and just coming back down."
He said the force was "amazingly lucky" to work alongside teams of mountain rescue volunteers, describing them as "an amazing bunch of people" who "put their lives at risk at times to help people who have got into difficulties in the mountains".
One such volunteer is Chris Lloyd from Ogwen Valley Mountain Rescue Organisation, who has given his time as part of the team since 1977.
While a lot has changed in the last five decades, Mr Lloyd told Sky News there was "an increasing number of calls which are really unnecessary".
So far this year, the team has responded to 103 callouts, while they received 121 in the whole of 2019.
"We're all volunteers in all the rescue teams, we're not paid or anything, we do this just for the passion and the love of the mountains and so we go out to assist people, but there's a limit now," he said.
"We all have domestic lives, we have work lives and we have to do this in our own time, to come out and rescue people.
"So if we can reduce the callouts by getting people to be prepared, be better equipped, choosing the right route for the day, not taking on too much of a challenge, it'll save us, because otherwise we're going to burn out."
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
BBC News
9 hours ago
- BBC News
Many trains through Bristol Temple Meads cancelled or delayed
Many train services into Bristol Temple Meads Station are being either cancelled or delayed while emergency services respond to an Western Railway (GWR) announced just before 16:00 BST that all lines were blocked, with the disruption expected to last until at least 18: said a person had been struck by a train, adding that emergency services are onsite. At 16:20 it said platforms one and seven through to 15 have now reopened but delays continue. The operator said further updates would be posted on its website and that it was looking at other public transport options that might be able to help stranded passengers.
Sky News
2 days ago
- Sky News
Firefighters continue to battle blaze at Edinburgh landmark Arthur's Seat
Firefighters are continuing to battle a large blaze at the Edinburgh landmark, Arthur's Seat. Crews worked through the night to put out the fire, which began on Sunday afternoon. Two appliances were at the scene at 6.30am on Monday, the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service said, after emergency services were first called at around 4.05pm. Smoke could be seen billowing into the sky from the hill, an extinct volcano in Holyrood Park, just a short distance from Edinburgh's historic Old Town to the southeast of the city centre. Four fire engines and specialist resources were sent to the incident on Sunday, which was "affecting a large area of gorse", a type of shrub, the service said. Climbing Arthur's Seat to enjoy views of the city is a popular activity for tourists and locals alike. Police Scotland advised motorists and pedestrians to avoid the area. The cause of the blaze is currently unclear. "There are no reported casualties at this time and crews remain at the scene," an SFRS spokesperson said on Sunday evening. Edinburgh is especially busy this month thanks to the return of annual festivals including the Fringe. This weekend has also seen Oasis fans descend on the Scottish capital as Liam and Noel Gallagher's band performed two nights at Murrayfield stadium.
Daily Mail
4 days ago
- Daily Mail
Horrific moment chairlift collapses in a Russian resort, with four people plunging into a lake, and six hitting the ground - as others are trapped dangling mid-air
This is the horrifying moment a chairlift collapsed in a Russian resort, which saw four people plunge into a lake and six others hit the ground. The ride from hell left a dozen people injured in Nalchik, in the mountainous region of Kabardino-Balkaria in southern Russia on Friday. Footage shows how the chairs suddenly fall, with passengers heard screaming as they fall into a wooded area. Another video captured on CCTV shows the cable cars going down and falling into the lake below. People are believed to have fallen from a height of up to seven feet, but there were no fatalities. Emergency services reportedly spent over an hour trying to reach those who had fallen into a wooded area. Those injured were rushed to the hospital, and one is in critical condition, according to the regional health ministry. A child was also among those hurt in the accident. Thirteen people were also left dangling on the chairs and had to be evacuated by emergency services, local media reports. The chairlift was first built in 1968, and emergency services believe wear and tear of cables was the 'preliminary cause of the accident'. According to local media, there had been several complaints about the state of the cable car, with tourists describing it as 'rusty' and 'old'. The horror plunge comes after a British couple was killed back April when the cable care they were travelling in plummeted 100 ft into an Italian mountainside. The holidaymakers were travelling up Monte Faito, which overlooks the bay of Naples, alongside two Israeli tourists and the cabin's driver, named in Italian media as 59-year-old Carmine Parlato. The group had set off up the mountain in one of the cableway's two cabins, leaving from the station in the historic town of Castellammare di Stabia at 2.40pm yesterday afternoon. Six minutes later, with the cabin understood to have been just 20 seconds away from reaching the safety of the terminal at the top of the 3,700ft peak, it ground to a halt. Officials said that the emergency braking system that was meant to hold it in place appears to have failed, meaning the cabin would have started sliding back down the wire. It was then that the traction cable snapped, sending the carriage and those in it swinging into a nearby pylon 'at full speed', according to the boss of the firm that runs the cable car. The cabin then plummeted nearly 100ft into the tree-covered ravine below, with its metal walls crumpled by thick branches as it split into pieces. Parts of it became lodged in the tree canopy while other bits of debris rolled down the slope, with the people inside thrown across the forest, Italian media reports. All but one of those on board lost their lives, with the Israeli man incredibly found by rescue teams among the mangled wreckage, along with the body of his partner and the three other passengers, some two hours after the alarm was first raised.
