GISBURN Forest is becoming a “serious accident blackspot”, according to mountain rescue volunteers sent to assist paramedics.

For the third time this month, members of Bowland Pennine Mountain Rescue team (BPMR) attended the area after a male mountain biker fell at the bottom of Hully Gully, sustaining head and pelvic injuries.

He was taken to the Royal Preston Hospital for treatment, but his condition is unknown.

BPMR volunteers have been called to the forest five times this year, taking up around 100 man hours.

The North West Air Ambulance has been called out seven times so far in 2012, up on six calls for the whole of 2011.

Phil O’Brien, team leader of BPMR, said: “A lot of work is being done promoting the forest as an extreme mountain biking destination, and as a result, we’re finding an increasing number of injuries, despite the riders wearing appropriate safety equipment.

“It’s definately becoming an accident blackspot, and each call out is very resource-intensive.

“Unlike road traffic accidents, the trees mean that ambulances can’t pull up beside the patient, so we’re needed to carry them out - sometimes as far as a kilometre.”

On May 7, a male cyclist broke his upper arm and dislocated a shoulder, on May 6, a mountain biker punctured a lung.

It costs the North West Air Ambulance (NWAA) charity £550 to run a helicopter for an hour. Lynda Brislin, chief executive of NWAA, said there had been a “notable increase” to Gisburn Forest in the past six months.

She said: “We fund and operate two helicopters and can only attend a certain number of missions. As such, we urge people to take care when they’re out and about.”

Nigel Barnes of the Blackburn Bikers group, is part of a steering group looking at forest facilities.

He said: “The trials at Gisburn Forest have been properly designed and are standing up to the pressure being put on them.

“There are trail leaders working in the forest, and lots of advice available on how to ride safely, but people need to take it on board. The forest is open to anyone and cannot legislate for what kind of equipment people will be using.”

A spokesman for the Forestry Commision, responsible for the trails, said: “The trials are built to fit in with national grading systems and they are checked at least once per month.

“We do provide information about safety and about the demands of each trail, and it is up to the riders to be honest about their ability, and for them to make sure they are wearing the right equipment.”

Report any accidents at the Forest to the Forestry Commission on 01229 860373.