Just after noon today, our colleagues at Rossendale and Pendle MRT were contacted by Lancashire Constabulary for their teams assistance with a search for a missing 23 year old male in the Accrington area, in circumstances giving Police cause for concern for his welfare.

RPMRT mobilised quickly to the given search areas, and early afternoon started to escalate the resources and assets involved in the search.

This resulted in a call to our team at 14.28hrs, which was answered by our Deputy Team Leader Chris Greenhalgh, who paged out a full team call out at 14.48hrs after collecting details from RPMRT.

Our Trailing Search Dog Handler Steve Nelson and Trailing search Dog Boris was also called to assist, and made his way direct to the search RVP, whilst other Bolton MRT colleagues assembled at our Ladybridge Hall Base / HQ and GMFRS Bolton North Community Fire Station garage.

Steve and Boris arrived to commence some initial search work, working from the search RVP at the Whittaker Arms Public house, Accrington.

Our first Land Rover Defender Mountain Rescue Ambulance, call sign Bolton Mobile 1 with two team members on board, arrived on scene at 16.24hrs, to be informed at 16.40hrs (as our second Land Rover was still in transit) that the mountain rescue element of the search was being stood down.

At 16.45hrs a full team stand down message was paged out, with some of our member already assembling on scene.

The missing man was subsequently located by Lancashire Constabulary Officers.

We understand the following resources were involved in this search operation;

• Rossendale and Pendle Mountain Rescue Team.
• Bolton Mountain Rescue Team; Two Team Land Rover Defender Mountain Rescue Ambulances, call signs ‘Bolton Mobiles 1 and 2, ten team call out list members deployed to this search, with others declaring their availability for later in the day, should they be required.
• Oldham Mountain Rescue Team; Circa twelve team members had declared their availability, intending to leave their Oldham Base / HQ for the search RVP at 17.30hrs.
• SARDA assets; at least three SARDA Search Dog Teams were involved at stand down, including two air scenting Search dogs and their Handlers from SARDA England, and our Steve Nelson with his Mountain Rescue Trailing Search Dog Boris, from SARDA Wales (Also included in Bolton MRT figures above)
• Lancashire Constabulary;