The Team was contacted on Friday the 4th of February, in connection with a large scale search planned for today in connection with the continuing Police enquiry and associated search for a missing 30 year old Bolton man.

It had previously been announced that this man was now wanted for questioning in connection with a Police enquiry over the murder of a Bolton girl in June 2002.

A large search area was identified from Beaumont Road across to Marsden Road and Chorley New Road to Wigan and Deane Rd, encompassing areas previously searched on Tuesday 1st February by BMRT.

28 Bolton Team members, 7 Oldham MRT members & 9 Rossendale & Pendle MRT members were involved alongside 8 GMP Section Officers, 10 GMP TAU Officers & 2 GMP Missing Person Search Managers.

As part of the search operation the kayak search unit of Bolton MRT, whch included on this occasion three kayakers, was deployed to search all water bodies within the overall search area.

At 10:48 Hrs the kayak team whilst deployed on an ornamental in Queen’s Park, Bolton were checking an island and located the missing person alive. Police officers were quickly called to the scene, despite the difficulties of access with our kayak team assisting the Police.

The casualty is carried from the island, on the right, across the kayak bridge to dry land.

The man was injured, requiring an urgent evacuation which saw the seven members of Oldham MRT also called to the scene to assist the Police and the (now) 4 Bolton MRT members on scene with casualty care. With a GMAS ambulance and Paramedic crew also in attendance, the man was evacuated on a Mountain Rescue stretcher, commencing at 11:38 Hrs from the island, utilising our kayaks as stepping stones to get the stretcher across the water and soft mud barrier around the island. The man was taken to Royal Bolton Hospital by GMAS.

The joint Bolton MRT, Oldham MRT & GMP Stretcher party.

The casualty is loaded into the GMAS ambulance and taken to Hospital under Police escort.

All other MRT resources deployed in the search were stood down, whilst our three kayakers and another team member stayed at the casualty site to offer assistance to GMP Crime Scene Investigators, Photographers and other officers. This incident was concluded at 17:00 Hrs.

The whole search operation was organised and controlled (including the provision of excellent catering by the Team for all involved) from our Ladybridge Hall base.

The man had been reported missing on Monday 31st January and the GMP enquiry and search, relying to a large degree on the search resources and experience of the three MR Teams and SARDA units involved, met with a succesful conclusion thanks to the diligence of all involved. This has been our longest running search since our involvement in the search for the missing 17 year old girl in Warrington in November 2003, which involved us in five days of searching.

As a foot note, once again the Team found themselves under the media spotlight with the Team Leader appearing on Granada Tv News & Paul Jorgensen on BBC Tv News.