A MAN who had drunk 'a large volume of alcohol' prompted a large-scale rescue operation after going missing near Helvellyn.

Patterdale Mountain Rescue Team were called out just after 3am on Saturday, August 13, to search for a missing party goer who was staying up at Greenside Mines.

The Team requested the assistance of Penrith and Keswick Mountain Rescue Teams and The Lake District Mountain Rescue Search Dogs to search alongside Cumbria Police.

The 32-year-old man, from the North East of England, had fallen into some disused mine workings and was found by the team search dog. He was treated for neck, back and pelvic injuries.

Patterdale MRT's team leader said: "This call-out came in the middle of the night, disturbing the sleep of the team members who are all volunteers and give their time freely.

"It is disheartening to report that the man was sadly abusive to team members, paramedics and the Coastguard helicopter crew that flew him, in poor weather conditions, to James Cook Hospital, Middlesbrough.

"The man was released from hospital the next day with some minor spinal injuries and I expect a pretty serious hangover."

The search and subsequent rescue lasted five hours and involved two mountain rescue teams and six Lake District Mountain Rescue Search Dogs, the Police, Ambulance Service and HM Coastguard.