A TEAM of kayakers has been criticised after a night-time river ride in the Ribble Valley sparked a full-scale rescue operation.

The two women and three men were stranded when they became disorientated in the dark after setting off on the River Hodder on Saturday night from The Inn, Whitewell, near Clitheroe.

A 40-man rescue mission, which included police, firefighters, the mountain rescue team and the police helicopter, was launched at 1.25am.

It was sparked when a sister of one of the unnamed party, who are all from Rochdale, received a Mayday text message telling her they had got lost.

Shortly after 5am, a man and woman from the group were discovered on a bank of the river and were described as being "safe and well."

The search continued for their fellow kayakers who had set off on foot to get help at 9pm.

They were spotted by the Lancashire police helicopter on moorland near the river just after 6am. They were said to be cold and wet but otherwise in good health.

Police revealed that 40 police, fire and ambulance workers had run up a total of 120 hours on the search. And, as well as the helicopter, three fire engines, three ambulances, four police vehicles and four mountain rescue vehicles were used.

Inspector Stuart Bruce, of Blackburn Police, who criticised the kayakers, said: "I would like to thank the mountain rescue team and everyone who helped in the operation. However, this was an entirely avoidable situation.

"Plenty of people engage in adventures and I don't have a problem with that, and negotiating the river in itself is not particularly dangerous. But their problems arose as they attempted to do so in total darkness.

"We ask that people think these things through and inform others of their whereabouts."

He added: "We can not put a figure on how much this operation cost as a lot of these people were on duty anyway. Although, obviously they could have spent their time doing other things if they had not be called to this incident."