A LONE hiker who got lost in the North Pennines was rescued after giving a description of the scenery over his mobile phone.

The 50-year-old man dialled 999 after realising he was lost while walking the Pennine Way at the weekend.

Police called the Teesdale and Weardale search and rescue team from its base in Barnard Castle, County Durham.

Team members rang the hiker back. He had no idea where he was, but they asked him to describe the hills and valleys around him.

From his description, they worked out that he was probably at Scordale Head, about 6km from where he should have been - and their calculation proved correct.

They asked for the Durham Police helicopter to be sent to the remote location, and the man was found. He was airlifted to the car park at Cow Green reservoir to meet the rescuers.

Yesterday, Dave Bartles-Smith, the team leader, said: "From the description he gave of the scenery we felt he was at Scordale Head, and fortunately this proved to be the case. The helicopter got to him quickly."

The hiker was examined by the team's casualty carer before being driven to Barnard Castle.

Team spokesman Steve Owers said: "A number of hikers have taken a wrong turn on the Pennine Way and ended up at Scordale Head. This man gave a good description of the scenery, so they quickly realised where he was."

The hiker was from Birmingham, but his details were not released.