A MOUNTAIN rescue team claims lives are being put at risk by a police force's reluctance to call them out on emergencies.

Rossendale Search and Rescue Team is a group of highly trained volunteers who have the equipment and expertise to deal with emergency situations on the Pennine moorlands and in rough terrain.

But the team's bosses are preparing for a showdown with Greater Manchester Police chiefs after a series of incidents when they were not called out to assist the emergency services.

Team leader Dave Barrington said: "Last Friday, a motorcyclist came off his bike and was trapped in a quarry on Rooley Moor, two miles away from a main road. Police, fire and ambulance were called out, but we weren't.

"The firefighters had to abandon their vehicle a mile away from the scene and walk before they managed to hitch a lift from a four-wheel drive vehicle.

"Luckily this man survived, but a few days earlier a man collapsed on Holcombe Moor with a suspected heart attack. His friends had a mobile phone and requested help, including mountain rescue. "Who knows if we could have made a difference. But we are specially trained to deal with these situations, and if the police don't call us out I believe more lives could be lost."

The Haslingden-based search and rescue team rely on donations from the public to pay for their training and equipment, and fear that this charity may dry up if people think they are not active. They are regularly called out to assist in emergencies right across East Lancashire and beyond, including searches for missing people and accidents on the moors.

A spokesman for Greater Manchester Police said: "We are aware of the valuable support to the public that the mountain rescue service provides and we endeavour to work closely with them.

"Superintendent Nick Fisher has liaised with a member of the mountain rescue team and discussions have taken place to see how their skills can be used."

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