RESCUERS were called out to a poorly-equipped walker who found himself stranded and 'unable to breathe' in wintry conditions on a Yorkshire Dales mountain.

The walker, a 24-year-old man with asthma, was unable to find his way off the summit of Whernside.

Rescuers reported that he had 'totally inadequate' clothing and footwear. They said he could hardly speak due to the cold.

A rescue team set off from Bruntscar after the Cave Rescue Organisation (CRO) was notified of the incident at around 4.40pm on Friday.

A CRO spokesman said: "A controller telephoned the 'casualty' several times.

"The only responses tailed off incoherently, so an enquiry was made for an air ambulance."

Team members reported seeing a light higher up the hill and made their way up the path towards it.

The spokesman said: "The ascending team met with an individual on the hill and established that it was the casualty.

"After carrying out an initial assessment, and treatment, of the extremely cold and tired individual, they were able to escort them back to a waiting CRO vehicle."

A second team, as well as helicopter assistance which had been requested, was stood down.

The spokesman said: "As his condition seemed to be deteriorating, they [team members] deemed it unwise to dump their patient at his car to drive home, and asked for a Yorkshire Ambulance Service (YAS) paramedic to reassess him.

"The paramedic in the YAS rapid response vehicle called in a road ambulance and the [CRO] team stood down.

"The hills were in true winter conditions; snow lay on the ground, with many areas having a layer of ice, and a combination of low air temperatures and wind chill took the overall temperature well below freezing.

"It’s easy to become chilled very quickly if you have to make an unexpected stop.

"If you are going out, please ask yourself if you have the right equipment for the conditions that you might encounter."