A WOMAN had to be rescued from Darwen moors after slipping on ice and breaking her leg in two places.

Paramedics had to call in the Bolton Mountain Rescue Team (BMRT) for its specialist equipment to access the moors and bring 64-year-old June Stemp down safely.

Mrs Stemp had walked to Darwen Tower with her daughter, Karen Alvarez, four grandchildren and their dog, but fell on the path while walking back down the hill just after noon.

BMRT rescuer Paul Brain was first on the scene and was able to direct the Land Rover ambulance with more members to the casualty, and provide some protection from the cold weather with a shelter.

He said: "The party were able to give an accurate grid reference to the ambulance control centre which assisted in our team being able to access her location quickly.

"After stabilising the casualty's ankle with a vacuum splint and administering pain-killing gas, she was transferred to a mountain rescue stretcher and carefully carried down the icy path to the main road by the Sunnyhurst pub.

"Here she was transferred into the back of our BM3 Land Rover ambulance where she was transported to Royal Blackburn Hospital."

Seventeen team members attended the incident with three team vehicles and one friend of the team, Maggie Allred.

Mr Brain added: "We would like to thank the family of Mrs Stemp and other passing walkers who stayed on the hill helping to keep the casualty comfortable, and for other walkers who helped to guide our mountain rescue resources to the casualty location.

"We would like to wish June a speedy recovery back to walking the hills of Darwen."

Mrs Alvarez said: "She broke her leg in two places and she was supposed to go into theatre yesterday, but the doctors say it will be a long healing process.

"The mountain rescue team were fantastic, but so were all the people up on the moors.

"So many people stopped to help us.

"I was with my four children and the dog, and then my phone died so I couldn't contact anyone.

"We were up there for more than an hour and it was a case of what can go wrong will go wrong.

"But people were great. One couple took two of my children home and another man gave us a lift home.

"I just want to thank all those people who helped out."