The climbers got stuck abseiling on Tower Gap. Photo: Callum Black CC-BY-SA-2.0

Two climbers were rescued from Britain’s highest mountain in an overnight operation lasting more than nine hours after they got stuck.

The pair were tackling a route on Tower Ridge on the North Face of Ben Nevis when their ropes became jammed while abseiling from Tower Gap.

The mountaineers called for help at 9pm yesterday when they could progress no further.

Lochaber Mountain Rescue team was called out and its members spent what a spokesperson called ‘a frigid night’ on the summit helping the climbers to safety.

A Sea King search and rescue helicopter from RAF Lossiemouth was able to airlift nine members of the team part-way up the mountain and they then made their way on foot to the 1,344m (4,409ft) summit.

Rescuers then helped the pair back up the ridge to the summit, arriving on top of the mountain about 4am before heading back down. A team spokesperson said: “After a quick tidy up everyone was keen to get moving especially those minding the ropes on top.”

The rescue ended about 6.30am.

The team had earlier been involved in rescuing a climber who had fallen and suffered a shoulder injury in the Comb Gully area. A Royal Navy Sea King helicopter from HMS Gannet in Ayrshire also took part in the rescue.