'Rescued men still owe hotel bill three weeks later'

A mountain rescue team has issued a plea for two walkers it rescued to send money they promised to pay a hotel that took them in late at night.

Wasdale Mountain Rescue Team said it was called to an "avoidable" seven-hour rescue of two young men on Scafell Pike in the Lake District on 29 December, in "treacherous" conditions.

Once off the mountain, a manager at nearby Wasdale Head Inn offered to provide the walkers with snacks and let them stay in a room with a 35% discount, the team said.

Three weeks later the bill remains unpaid and the two made no contact.

Despite the hotel waiving the fee for the team, they said they felt "obliged to reimburse" them to be able to rely on their support in the future.

A spokesman for the Wasdale team said: "We avoid judging those we rescue but struggle to understand when the rescued take advantage of hospitality provided by our supporters in the valley."

They added the walkers claimed they had left their money in a tent, which was left near Green Gable when they were rescued, but had agreed to send the £130 later.

The rescue team said: "Disappointingly, in the morning they offered no thanks for the efforts of the hotel, asked for further reductions to the cost, pushed hard for a breakfast and asked if they could arrange transport to get them out of the valley."

A phone number they left with the hotel did not work.

The team said the pair also failed to return headtorches lent to them by volunteers when descending the mountain.

"We have tried contacting the two walkers to encourage them to settle their debt with the hotel but also to return the head torches," a team spokesman said.

"We also would like to return their hospital crutch left in our vehicle that one of them with a previous leg injury had used on the ascent but again, sadly no replies to date."