Kirkby Stephen Mountain Rescue Team had its first two call outs of 2021 yesterday.
The first saw team members drive a district nurse to visit a patient in a remote farmhouse near Tebay.
Just a few hours later, the volunteer members were asked to help people in a 4×4 which had left a road high in the Pennines.
The team was initially told the car was carrying two adults and two children, but it was four young men, not from the local area.
The men had requested help from the fire service, which had managed to get an engine to the scene.
It took three hours of shovelling snow before all vehicles were on Tarmac.
A post on Facebook from Kirkby Stephen Mountain Rescue Team said: “We don’t judge people, and there may have been a valid reason for them driving past the road closed sign.
“Please think carefully before using minor roads in winter conditions, and be prepared to change your plans.
“One fire appliance, two police officers and two mountain rescue Land Rovers were all unavailable for other emergencies for four hours.”
