AN injured fell walker was recovering this week after an air ambulance crew plucked her to safety from isolated, snow-covered hills.

The woman, who has not been named, was rescued by the Great North Air Ambulance crew after they battled freezing conditions to reach her at the remote spot at Weardale. Road ambulance paramedics were also trying to get to the stranded woman, who had fallen and badly broken her leg at Stanhope Mine.

But the crew had been forced to stop the vehicle at the bottom of the valley and climb up the bleak hillside.

The rescue happened on Sunday at about 3.15pm after the woman was fell-walking with her partner.

It is understood he managed to reach a nearby farm and raise the alarm.

The air ambulance, which is based at Teesside Airport, took only 12 minutes to get to the woman and managed to reach her before the road crew. It landed within 20 metres of her on the hillside.

A few minutes after being stretchered on to the air ambulance she was being treated in the warmth of the University Hospital of North Durham.

Air ambulance paramedic Jon Kerr said the woman had already started to suffer from the cold and had a suspected badly broken right leg.

He said that without the air ambulance they may have had to get the fell rescue team in, which would have delayed her rescue.

"The exposure in those kind of conditions is one of the biggest things - people die very quickly when they're exposed to harsh weather conditions," he said.

"Obviously speed is essential in that situation and she was shivering and cold when we found her. But she was in quite good spirits even though she was in a fair bit of pain with her leg."

The Darlington-based Great North Air Ambulance charity is in need of volunteers to help with fundraising and donations to meet its £1m annual running costs. For more information contact the Great North Air Ambulance at (01325) 4872.