The number of incidents for the team has surpassed 200 in the past 12 months. Photo: Edale MRT

Rescuers in the Peak District have experienced a busy period as large numbers of day visitors and holidaymakers flocked to the area.

Edale Mountain Rescue Team has been called out eight times in the past week and to date has dealt with 78 incidents this year, with 200 clocked up in the past 12 months.

A team spokesperson said: “The last seven days alone have seen eight separate incidents, varying from crashed mountain bikers to fallen climbers to a variety of injured hillwalkers and sadly one fatality.

“The central area of the Peak District which the team covers is very busy with a marked increase in day visitors as well as holidaymakers, all adding to added pressure on the emergency services.

“Of course, team members are all volunteers and the increase in callouts also adds to the extra tasks required in running the team such as equipment checks and restocks, vehicle repairs and maintenance as well as the usual training and fundraising.

“None of this would be possible without the ongoing support of their families whose daily plans are routinely ‘altered’ by the familiar call to another incident.

“As the school summer holidays approach the team would request that everyone who comes to visit the Peak District to be considerate of the local communities and the associated traffic impacts but of course to have an enjoyable and safe break.”

On Sunday morning the team went to the aid of a mountain biker who suffered a serious chest injury after colliding with a tree in Gillfield Wood near Totley. The Yorkshire Air Ambulance flew the injured rider to Northern General Hospital in Sheffield.

The previous day a couple rang the team’s base after looking up a number online, and were fortunate to have their call answered by an Edale MRT member who happened to be at the headquarters.

The walker fell on Lose Hill, suffering a suspected dislocated kneecap. The casualty was treated before the couple and their dog were driven to the valley for transport to hospital. The spokesperson said: “As ever a quick reminder that if mountain rescue is required please dial 999, ask for police and then request mountain rescue.”

Team members stretcher the injured biker to the air ambulance on the slopes of Mam Tor. Photo: Edale MRT

On Friday the Edale team, assisted by colleagues from Buxton MRT, went to the aid of another mountain biker who had crashed on the lower slopes of the north face of Mam Tor. The rider was treated for a serious leg injury before being sledged down the hillside to the waiting Derbyshire, Leicestershire and Rutland Air Ambulance helicopter.

Another injured mountain biker prompted a callout on Thursday to the Roman road below Hope Cross. Team members and ambulance crew treated him at the scene for shoulder and abdominal injuries before stretchering him a short distance to a waiting ambulance.

Two climbers were injured in separate incidents on Thursday evening. In the second one at Stoney West, emergency services had to close the road below the crag because of the danger of dislodged boulders hitting passers-by and vehicles.

The climber suffered significant injuries in a 10m (33ft) fall. Team members were in an online management meeting at the time. The spokesperson said: “One of our team members, who happened to be on the meeting Zoom call, lives nearby and was first on scene along with the East Midlands Ambulance Service crew.

“The first team vehicle to arrive also had on board three other members who had been on the Zoom meeting. The Yorkshire Air Ambulance Service had landed down on the playing fields in Stoney Middleton. They grabbed a lift up to the casualty site with a kind passing motorist.

“The stretcher and kit along with ropes were quickly conveyed direct to the site, where the casualty was assessed by a team paramedic. Pain relief was administered before splinting and packaging for the lower down the steep ground to the roadside.”

Earlier in the evening another climber was injured in a fall at Horseshoe Quarry near Stoney Middleton.

Team members helped ambulance crew and a paramedic extricate the stricken climber from the scene and stretcher them to the waiting ambulance.

The Edale team joined colleagues from the Glossop, Woodhead, Buxton and Derby teams on Tuesday for a widespread search for a young missing man in the Ladybower area.

Three Mountain Rescue Search Dogs and their handlers from Peak District teams also joined the operation, along with police and fire service staff.

The spokesperson said: “The mountain rescue teams searched the area immediately above the reservoir. In the early afternoon a find was made by an Edale search section in a wooded area.

“Unfortunately the young man was found to be deceased. Our thoughts go out to the family and friends of the young man in this extremely sad time for everyone involved.”

The previous day the Edale team was alerted to a man who had collapsed near Ashopton Bridge while walking with a friend. As mountain rescuers were en route to the incident, the walker’s condition improved and the ambulance crew were able to walk him back to their vehicle. Edale team members continued to the site in case the man’s condition deteriorated again.