A SON risked his life in a bid to save his father and two other trapped North-East mountaineers by walking through a snowstorm for help - but rescuers arrived too late.

The four British climbers, from the Brotton area of east Cleveland, became stranded in freezing conditions on the Sierra Nevada, in southern Spain.

The Foreign Office last night confirmed the three dead men as Colin Riddiough, 46, Paul Dick, 56, and John Plews, 30.

As the blizzard raged around them, the youngest member of the party, Stephen Riddiough, 30, volunteered to go for help.

Officials said he left the others sheltering in a snow hole they had cut and managed to reach a village, where he raised the alarm on Sunday afternoon.

Tragically, despite his eff-orts, the other three men were dead by the time rescuers reached them.

Their bodies were discovered on the south side of the Mulhacen, the highest peak in the Iberian peninsula.

A spokesman for the Spanish Civil Guard said the three bodies had been taken to a nearby town for post-mortem examinations.

It is understood that all the men were keen climbers.

Colin Riddiough is believed to have served in the Army and worked at Boulby potash mine. Mr Dick is said to have worked recently at a supermarket in the Redcar area.

A neighbour said: "They were all keen mountaineers, they loved the outdoors.

"They were all fit guys and would do peak challenges in the Lake District. It is a dreadful thing to have happened.

"Three local families are devastated and the whole village is thinking about them and praying for them."

But according to the Foreign Office, rescuers said the men had set out without the proper clothing and footwear.

A spokesman said the expedition had set off on their journey on Thursday or Friday. He said: "The weather conditions became so treacherous that they made a shelter for the night.

"It seems one of them made it down and alerted the search and rescue teams."

Stephen Riddiough reached the village of Capileira and alerted authorities on Sunday afternoon. A search and rescue operation began that ended at nightfall.

It resumed yesterday morning, and the bodies were discovered on the snow-covered mountain a few hours later.

The Sierra Nevada is home to some of the highest peaks and most hostile mountain conditions in Europe, but overlooks the sun-drenched coastline of Andalucia.

At 11,414ft, the Mulhacen - where the men's bodies were found - is more than two-and-a-half times higher than Britain's highest mountain, Ben Nevis.

Tourists head for Spain's Sierra Nevada all year round for activities such as hiking, mountaineering, skiing and cycling.

Temperatures on the peaks are on average 14C lower than in the surrounding valleys, making sub-zero conditions a constant occurrence during the colder months of the year.

Biting winds add a chilling effect, that can cause the most experienced climbers problems if exposed for too long.