Search dog Meg. Photo: Calder Valley SRT

A missing walker was found using a combination of technology and animal skills.

Calder Valley Search and Rescue Team was called out on Sunday when a man got lost in bad visibility on the South Pennine moors.

Police alerted the team about 5.30pm when the walker got lost somewhere near Withens Clough Reservoir while walking towards Stoodley Pike above Todmorden.

A team spokesperson said: “Due to the dense fog that had descended rapidly on the moors, visibility was very poor and the walker had become disorientated and lost his way.

“Worried for his wellbeing and unsure of his exact location, the full team was deployed to affect a rapid search and rescue.

“As team members made their way to the search zone, incident leaders used Sarloc to help pinpoint the walker’s location. Once on-scene, one of the team’s search dogs, Meg, with handler Pete and navigator Richard, were tasked with searching the reported grid references, and found the walker.

“He was tired, cold, wet and in need of assistance due to exposure to the elements, but after being tended to by a team casualty carer, and warmed up and fed, he was able to walk to Calder Mobile 1, located on the nearest driveable track for transfer off the moor.”

The walker got lost near Withens Clough Reservoir

The Sarloc system, devised by former Ogwen Valley Mountain Rescue Organisation member Russ Hore, sends a hyperlink to the casualty’s smartphone which, when clicked, uses the phone’s built-in satellite navigation receiver to send its location to rescuers.

The team spokesperson said the fix was accurate to within 15m, adding: “A very grateful walker, and an excellent result. Well done search dog Meg and thanks also to Russ Hore for designing Sarloc.