GOVERNMENT funding is being given to mountain rescue teams for the first time with around £40,000 expected to come to Dartmoor over the next four years.

The Treasury last week pledged a total of £200,000 to teams across the UK in the first of four years of funding.

The money will go to 75 teams performing mountain or cave rescue activity across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland with £124,000 being shared across 48 teams in England and Wales.

Search manager for the Tavistock branch of the Dartmoor Rescue Group Paul Hudson said based on the figures, the Dartmoor group as a whole, which also has branches in Okehampton, Ashburton and Plymouth, would get around £10,000 of the money each year.

'Each branch will get £2,500 which is a help because we do not get any other Government or statutory body funding,' he said.

'It costs around £15,000 to run the Tavistock branch each year because we have to pay for our own vehicles, equipment and first aid. To raise this money we do our own fundraising and street collections.

'This is the first Government funding to come to the Dartmoor Rescue Group since it was set up in 1968.'

Chief Secretary to the Treasury Danny Alexander said the funding 'recognises the valuable and unique work that volunteer mountain rescue teams do across the UK and will help support the costs of expensive rescue equipment.'