A MOUNTAIN rescue team has officially launched its new incident control vehicle – 14 years after members began fundraising for it.

The Teesdale & Weardale Search & Mountain Rescue Team (TWSMRT) held a special event at their new base in Durham yesterday to reveal the high-spec vehicle which cost more than £77,000.

The new vehicle – known as the Teesdale Alpha – has all the latest technology to assist the team in searching for missing people and acts as a mobile base to control searches along with the other emergency services.

It can hold up to 17 people and also doubles as an ambulance as it is able to carry a full-size mountain rescue stretcher and has a defibrillator and other medical equipment on board.

Another new feature is the installation of a nine-metre extendable mast which can give the team access to 4G signal in remote areas at the press of a button – a welcome update to their previous vehicle’s mast which had to put up by hand and could take four members up to 20 minutes to set up.

The vehicle replaces the team’s existing search control vehicle which has been donated to the Aberglaslyn Mountain Rescue Team in Wales.

It was supplied by North East Truck & Van, with the company’s Ray Tennant, describing it as a “quantum leap forward” in emergency vehicles.

While launching Teesdale Alpha, TWSMRT deputy team leader, Peter Bell, said: “We think this vehicle brings our team control vehicle into the 21st Century – it has some design concepts that are fairly unique.”

Mr Bell said the vehicle would ensure the team could serve the people of County Durham and Darlington for at least the next ten years and had already been used twice including the rescue of 15-year-old Brandon Ellis, who went missing while on a school trip in Hamsterley Forest earlier this month.

Every penny has been raised from public donations while a significant amount was donated by the late Peter and Sheila Mitford, of Darlington, who were both keen moors walkers.

Mr and Mrs Mitford’s daughter Catherine Mitford officially marked the vehicle launch by handing over the keys to the team.

Mrs Mitford, who attended the event with her husband Chris, said she was honoured to be asked to hand over the keys as it was a project her parents strongly believed in.

She said: “My mum passed away five years ago and she left some money then and then my dad passed away two years ago so we knew he was leaving some too.

“They have always contributed to the fundraisers. They were keen moors walkers and never needed to use the mountain rescue team but always said how important it was.”

The mum-of-two added: “It’s nice to remember them through this and I was really chuffed when they asked me.”

Paul Black, a police search advisor with Durham Constabulary, also praised the team and said the new vehicle would be “invaluable” to all the emergency services.

He said: “For us as a police force this organisation is invaluable to help find missing people.

“It’s an absolutely amazing legacy Mr and Mrs Mitford to have left to the organisation so it can benefit the public and communities of County Durham and Darlington.”