A MOUNTAIN biker was rescued yesterday after being injured in a County Durham forest.

Volunteers from the Teesdale and Weardale Search and Mountain Rescue Team rushed to the aid of the man following an incident in Hamsterley Forest, near Bishop Auckland.

It is not clear what injuries the biker suffered but it is understood he was taken to hospital by ambulance following the rescue.

A spokesman for the rescue team said: "This afternoon the team assisted the ambulance service with the evacuation of an injured mountain biker in Hamsterley Forest."