The man was carried down Bleaklow's northern cloughs

An exhausted walker was rescued from a Peak District fell after being found by two passing runners.

The 74-year-old was discovered by the fellrunners who were practising their winter night navigation on Bleaklow, the second highest hill in the national park.

Rescuers were alerted about 8pm yesterday, Saturday, and a major operation was launched by Woodhead, Glossop, Derby and Edale Mountain Rescue Teams.

The four teams were alerted because of the severe weather conditions and the possibility that all three people might need stretchering off the 633m (2,077ft) hill.

A spokesperson for Edale MRT said: “We managed to drive through the snow up the Westend track and make our way on foot towards the casualty location.

“We had got to Grinah Stones when it became apparent that only one person required carrying off and that the other three teams had enough muscle power to carry the casualty by stretcher down the Blacks [Black Cloughs] towards the Woodhead Road.”

The spokesperson added: “Consequently we ended up having a nice moonlit walk in the snow while Glossop, Woodhead and Derby team members did the real hard work of evacuating the casualty off the hill.”