DARTMOOR Search and Rescue Team Tavistock had possibly the busiest weekend in its history last weekend.

The team began its busy weekend on Friday, August 18 and concluded at 2am on Monday, August 21.

On Friday, police called the team at 6.41pm to assist four men from Bristol who were lost on the moor north of Princetown. One had sustained a lower leg injury during a walk from Okehampton to Princetown. The national police air service helicopter helped locate the men near Maiden Hill and the team transported them back to their Princetown accommodation.

On Saturday, members were called to assist the ambulance service with an incident at Great Mis Tor.

Two young men had camped there overnight but during the rough weather their tent had blown down and they had become soaked, cold and exhibiting signs of hypothermia.

The team deployed up the track towards Great Mis and met the men being walked off by ambulance personnel. Members assisted in escorting them and their kit back to the control point. After they had been discharged by the ambulance service the DSR team transported the men to Princetown.

Then, on Sunday (August 20), the team was called out by the police at 3.40pm to assist four young men and one woman in difficulties on the moor north of Princetown in poor visibility and rain. Further information revealed that they had been part of the group that were assisted near Great Mis Tor the previous morning and were thought to be in that area.

A hasty walking party located them on the tor as further members deployed in Land Rovers to assist. The subjects and their kit were escorted to the team’s vehicles and after being given some advice were taken to their car in Princetown.

Sunday also saw the North Dartmoor Search and Rescue Team (Okehampton) called at 7pm by the police to search for a woman and a man with a gash to his leg who were lost in thick mist while returning to Fernworthy from a walk to Cranmere Pool and Cut Hill. They believed they were near a tinner’s hut by the East Dart river, east of Cut Hill.

The Okehampton team began the search from Fernworthy Forest and Hangingstone Hill, searching southwards and called the Tavistock colleagues at 8.20pm to assist. Tavistock deployed three parties plus a search dog team from Postbridge northwards up the East Dart toward Broad Marsh, searching over rough terrain in rain and poor visibility.

Shortly before midnight members were informed that the subjects had met with some members of the public, well outside the teams’ search areas and were being escorted from the moor. Members from both teams were recalled to their start points, the last coming off the moor at 2am.