First it was the sound of whistling, then lights in the sky: a Lakeland rescue team had its second false alarm in less than 24 hours last night after a camper thought he had spotted a fellwalker in distress.

Patterdale Mountain Rescue Team was called by Cumbria Constabulary to investigate flashing lights spotted on the fellside high on Dove Crag by a person camping at Brothers Water.

A spokesperson for the team said: “A team vehicle was despatched with a team member to the camp site to speak with the reporting person. It was thought to be persons staying overnight at Priest Hole on Dove Crag.” The cave is 700m (2,297ft) up on the fell, overlooking Dovedale.

The call-out was recorded as a false alarm with good intent. Earlier in the day, Patterdale MRT was called to investigate what was believed to be a distress whistle on Helvellyn, which turned out to be another false alarm.