RESPONSE times when Rossendale and Pendle Mountain Rescue Team have to reach remote locations are to be slashed by an off-road buggy.

The team of volunteers have added a Linhai LH 400 UTV vehicle worth around £6,000 to their fleet following a free loan agreement with Farr ATV Ltd, an off road vehicle company based in Devon.

The buggy will be used on Pendle Hill and in Lee Mill Quarry, Bacup, to substantially cut the team’s response time in these remote areas.

Peter Goble, team leader, said: “Thanks to Farr ATV Ltd, this vehicle will massively reduce our response time to some of the harder to reach areas in our patch, like Pendle Hill, somewhere we’re called to regularly. Instead of a 25 minute hike to the top, we can now reach the summit in around seven minutes.

“The vehicle can carry two people, plus all the equipment they’ll need to begin first aid, and possibly save a life, in advance of the arrival of the rest of the team.”

The buggy is fitted with all-terrain tyres, a powerful 400cc petrol engine and selectable two and four wheel drive for rough, steep, or slippy ground.

Peter Johnson, general manager at Farr ATV Ltd, said: “We normally sell vehicles in this range to agricultural, game and equestrian users.

“But having friends in mountain rescue, it occurred to me that they may be able to use the vehicle to improve their response time to remote areas.”

Last week, ten members of the team attended a one-day course at Myerscough College to learn how to drive the machine safely.