Mountain rescue teams in the north west are under pressure responding to ‘needless’ callouts during the cold period.
And that’s despite the Covid-19 restrictions, and social distancing not always being possible during rescue operations.
Mountain Rescue Ireland says people are putting themselves and voluntary rescue teams in danger by climbing mountains in bad weather.
A spokesperson for Mountain Rescue Ireland says some of the callouts are ‘needless’ as people are are hiking in ‘bad weather, going ill equipped and untrained.’
There were 16 callouts for the Sligo/Leitrim Mountain Rescue Team in 2020, an increase from 13 in 2019 and 9 in 2018.
Alan Sayers in the PRO with Sligo/Leitrim Mountain Rescue.
He tells OceanFM if people are going to go for a walk, stick to known path and walkways.
And he says they should also be aware of the Covid precautions and restrictions.
