A MOUNTAIN rescue team has extended its fleet of lifesaving vehicles following a three-year fundraising campaign.

Teesdale and Weardale Search and Mountain Rescue Team now owns a new Land Rover, as well as its existing fleet of a control vehicle and an older Land Rover.

The team of the volunteers covers the whole of County Durham as well as the Eastern side of the Pennines, including Cross Fell, the highest peak in the Pennine range.

Not only do members rescue lost walkers, they also search semi urban areas for missing children, dementia sufferers and other vulnerable adults.

Four wheel drive vehicles are essential when travelling to remote areas.

The purchase followed a three-year fundraising campaign, which attracted more than 50 individual donations.

Durham University Charity Kommittee (DUCK) [CORR] and Glaxo Smith Kline were the main contributors.

Pete Bell, team leader, said the vehicle had been converted to create space for a stretcher, a built-in patient monitoring device and a roll cage.

“Unlike with our old Land Rover there is now space for our medics to work on the casualty while they are being transported,” he added.