Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Climbers rescued from Ben Nevis are fined for breaching Covid restrictions

All of mainland Scotland is under Scotland's highest level four restrictions

Bethany Dawson
Monday 01 February 2021 13:14 GMT
Comments
(PA)

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Two climbers have been rescued from Ben Nevis and fined for breaking lockdown restrictions.  

The pair, based in Glasgow, were rescued after getting into “difficulties” on the peak of the mountain at around 5:45pm on Sunday 31 January.  

Upon being saved by the Lochaber Moutain Rescue Team and the coastguard helicopter, based in Inverness, they were given a £60 fine for breaking current Covid restrictions that state you can only travel for essential reasons.  

The 100 miles travelled by the adventurers was contrary to such guidelines.  

A total of 20 members of the rescue team and the Inverness-based Coastguard helicopter were involved in the rescue.

Police Scotland said: "There were no injuries and both were issued with fixed penalty notices for breaching coronavirus regulations."

As the rescue helicopter was returning the men to safety, the team were alerted to the location of another pair in need of support on Creag Meagaidh, a peak roughly ten miles northeast of Ben Nevis.

It is not believed that the second pair broke any covid regulations, as they are understood to be local to the area.  

All mainland Scotland, along with the Western Isles, are under Scotland's highest level four restrictions.

For exercise, people can meet one other person for pursuits such as walking and an activity should start and finish at the same place, and can be up to five miles (8km) from the boundary of a person's local authority area.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in