Climbers and walkers using Scotland’s mountains this winter have been given advice in the event of an accident happening.
Members of the Mountaineering Council of Scotland (MCoS) have claimed they may well be the first port of call if such incidents occur.
Heather Morning, mountain safety adviser for the MCoS, said: “No one likes to think it will be them who gets into difficulties in the mountains, but sadly people do, for all sorts of reasons.
“On average, Scottish mountain rescue teams are called out about 750 times a year.
“If an accident happens to you or one of your party, the situation may be so serious that professional help is required.”
She continued: “If you have a mobile phone signal, dial 999 and ask for ‘Police and Mountain Rescue.’
“If you are having difficulties getting through on 999, try 112 the European-wide emergency number.”
Ms Morning added that when reception on mobiles is limited, it may be possible to send a text message where a voice call is not possible. To have that option to send a text to 999, users must have registered their phone by texting the word REGISTER to 999.
