Rescuers at the scene at the foot of Great End. Photo: Keswick MRT

A man was airlifted to hospital after injuring himself when he fell more than 300ft on a Lake District mountain.

The 53-year-old slipped and fell about 100m on Great End, and struck a rock when he came to rest.

Keswick Mountain Rescue Team was called out about 4.50pm on Sunday.

A team spokesperson said: “He suffered an isolated injury to his ankle, which rendered him immobilised.

“Given the height of the incident and the weather conditions, the team requested that the air ambulance attend to speed up evacuation.”

The Great North Air Ambulance was unable to reach the site because of low cloud, but the helicopter airlifted four team members including a paramedic most of the way, along with some of their kit. The team said this halved the time it took it members to reach the injured man.

The spokesperson said: “They were able to treat the casualty and get him ready for evacuation, so once the rest of the team assembled, they were able to evacuate the casualty by sledging swiftly down the stretcher route to White Bridge.

“The casualty’s son offered to drive him to hospital, and the team then returned to base to clear up.”

The rescue lasted 4¼ hours and involved 22 volunteers from Keswick MRT.