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Walkers fined over Covid rules breach after mountain rescue


By John Davidson

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The men had been walking on Buachaille Etive Mor.
The men had been walking on Buachaille Etive Mor.

Two men were given fixed penalty notices after being rescued from a Munro on Hogmanay.

Police and mountain rescue teams were called to help when the hikers got into difficulty descending Buachaille Etive Mòr in Glen Coe.

Police Scotland said that one of the men had sustained a leg injury which resulted in 25 members of Glencoe Mountain Rescue Team attending on foot to locate the men and safely assist them off the hill.

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

Inspector Kevin Macleod, from Highlands and 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."

The travel restrictions in Scotland have been tightened further since the incident, with a national lockdown put in place from Tuesday morning.

Andy Neilson, team leader at 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."


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