TWO walkers, who sparked a major search and rescue operation in the Lake District, have turned up safe and well.

Concern was growing for a mother and daughter, aged in their 80s and 50s respectively, who were thought to have gone missing in the Lake District fells.

The alert was raised after the ladies, from the York area, failed to return to Hollins Camp Site in Eskdale by midnight on Tuesday, having set out for Scafell Pike earlier in the day.

However, following an eight-hour search operation involving more than 40 members of Wasdale Mountain Rescue Team, the ladies returned to their camp site safe and well at around 8.30am today (Wednesday).

Julian Carradice, of Wasdale MRT, said: “The walk had taken longer than they had expected and they decided to bed down for the night using sleeping bags from the emergency survival bags they were carrying.

“They slept through all the search operations.”