Episode 7 Countryside 999


Episode 7

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From the Highlands of Scotland to the coast of Cornwall,

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the great British countryside is spectacular.

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But we work and play in it at our peril.

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And when things go wrong,

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the emergency services race to the rescue...

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He's come off and he's got his leg trapped underneath it.

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Oh, man. Oh, this is a nightmare.

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..going hundreds of miles against the clock,

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battling the elements and braving the waves.

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From the Welsh valleys to winding country roads,

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we'll be right at the heart of the action

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with police fighting crime...

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I am tinkering on seizing the vehicle.

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Paramedics saving lives...

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BABY CRIES

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And lifeguards patrolling the seas.

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We're there as the emergency services pull together

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to pick up, patch up and protect the public.

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This is Countryside 999.

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Coming up, the Royal Navy search and rescue team

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race to a fallen walker in the Lake District.

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It's no teddy bears' picnic down in the woods in Wales...

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Just the one dog?

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And in Cornwall, the season's just started

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but it's game over for one young footballer.

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HE GROANS

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Britain's great outdoors.

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Millions of us love to get off the beaten track

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for a bit of fun and adventure,

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especially in the summer.

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But when things go wrong in a remote area,

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you sometimes need a serious piece of kit...

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Like one of these.

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The Navy operate their Sea King helicopters

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from just two bases in the UK.

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Taking to the skies on thousands of urgent missions every year,

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they're one of the countryside's essential emergency services.

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They need to be prepared for anything...

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..24 hours a day, whatever the weather.

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Summer and winter, the search and rescue crews cover

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thousands of miles to rescue those in distress,

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and often collaborate with other emergency services.

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HMS Gannet in south-west Scotland

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is the busiest of all the search and rescue bases.

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Today, the Gannet guys have been called out urgently

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to the Lake District.

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There's a walker in serious trouble on Haystacks,

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one of the most popular peaks.

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But it will take 45 minutes to reach him.

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In the back are senior observer Richie Lightfoot

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and paramedic and winch man Florry Ford.

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25 minutes from the site, new info comes in.

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The mountain rescue team have reached him.

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177, that's all copied.

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The hill walker has fallen 30 feet onto rocks,

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ending up in water at the bottom of a steep-sided gully.

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It's a really awkward site.

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The Gannet crew, with their winch, look like the best bet

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for getting the man out in what is shaping to be a challenging rescue.

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The wild terrain they're heading for is breathtaking,

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imposing mountains and stunning lakes.

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But it can be treacherous.

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The walker has fallen 30 feet and he needs help fast.

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As observer, it's one of Richie's jobs to coordinate

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with the local Cockermouth mountain rescue guys on the ground.

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-It looks all right.

-Yeah.

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The helicopter is hovering directly above the mountain rescue team

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and the casualty.

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That's a good position there.

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Are you happy to go down a little bit further?

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One of the MRT is just above the gully where the walker's lying.

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The injured man is trapped a bit further upstream

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from this section of the ravine,

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out of sight beneath the chopper.

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He's been lying there for several hours.

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This is what they train for.

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The man is badly injured, cold and wet at the bottom of a gully.

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They need to get him off the hillside, fast.

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Heading due south from the Lake District

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is another of our national parks,

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the Brecon Beacons in Wales,

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520 square miles of tough terrain,

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wild moorland and forest as far as the eye can see.

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Sitting in the shadow of the mountains on the northern edge

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of the park is the town of Brecon.

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The local cop shop is run by the Dyfed Powys Police Force,

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responsible for this massive area.

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Sergeant Owen Dillon likes to start his day with a spot of housekeeping,

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and he scrubs up a treat.

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It's all part of keeping a good, positive image, really.

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Doesn't look good driving around in dirty cars.

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Today he's off to patrol the vast wilderness of the Brecon area.

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But with such a large beat,

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countryside cops like Owen often work alone.

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That'll be the car dirty again.

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Car crime was a big problem around here.

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Travelling gangs broke into vehicles parked up in remote spots.

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Over the years, what we've done is we've designed changes

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to some of these car parks to try and make them safer.

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We work closely with the National Parks, Forestry Commission

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and the National Trust, because they've all got involvement in this area.

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This is one of the car parks.

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Years ago, this was a place where we quite often had cars broken into.

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It just doesn't happen now

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because we all work together to prevent it.

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At the weekend,

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loads of people come out here to enjoy a bit of country air.

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Owen's found a family making the most

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of the summer Saturday afternoon.

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My guess is he's after a nicely barbecued sausage or two.

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I've timed it wrong. I was going to come when the sausages were ready!

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But even if the sausages look a bit on the burnt side,

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this kind of fireside chat is a vital part of Owen's job.

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-Goodbye, everyone. ALL:

-Bye!

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One of the big things about Dyfed Powys is we want to be accessible.

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Accessible doesn't mean just being able to go to a police station.

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It's being able to talk to us when we're out and about.

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So, yeah, preventing crime,

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deterring criminals from having a free rein around here,

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but also we're dealing with the public,

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and that's what we're here for.

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As you can see, it's a beautiful office.

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There's definitely worse places to work.

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But not everyone's on a family day out.

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I just want to have a look and see what's happening

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with this Polo here now, so just have a quick look.

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What I'm interested in, to start with, what's inside it.

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What I'll be looking for is any drugs paraphernalia,

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any sort of tools or anything.

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There's nothing visible in the car,

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but Owen has a hunch something's not right.

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He scans the woods for signs of the owners.

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He spies a group of people

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he reckons are in a bit of a panic, having seen him.

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Yeah, I'll come back to you, WH.

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The reception's gone. I'll come back to you now.

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As he heads up into the trees to get a better view,

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the signal goes and he loses radio contact with base.

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Owen's totally on his own.

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BIRDS TWEET

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DOG BARKS

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Time to confront whoever's down there.

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Back in the awe-inspiring landscape of the Lake District,

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there's an injured walker who badly needs help.

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The skills and winching gear of HMS Gannet's

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helicopter and crew are urgently needed to lift him to safety.

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The man is trapped at the bottom of this steep gully.

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Moments after this photo was taken,

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a family holiday turned into a nightmare for Michael,

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his daughters Imogen and Bethany, and wife Tracey.

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Michael saw this cantilever rock and had to go on it

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and have his picture taken.

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Imogen took the photo.

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Bethany and I took the opportunity to have a cup of tea.

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Imogen came back, and we waited for Mike

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and then realised he wasn't coming back.

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After the photo, Michael tried to scramble back up to the path.

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As he pulled on a rock he thought was a firm handhold,

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it came away.

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He fell 30 feet down a waterfall, into the gully.

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I couldn't get anywhere close.

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It was Imogen who was saying, "Actually, Mum,

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"it's too dangerous for you. I don't think you should go down there."

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And she stayed talking to him.

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Lots of really helpful people came past.

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We sent them down to the bottom of the mountain

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because they couldn't get a phone signal.

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There was nothing else that we could really do.

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One of the hardest bits was when Imogen came back from the ravine

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to see me and said, "Mummy, I just can't keep

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"telling Daddy that somebody's going to come because nobody's coming.

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"What can we do, what can we do?"

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And I just said, "Look, this is your moment, Imogen,

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"you have to be strong. This is a big, big challenge.

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"Somebody will come, and we just have to wait."

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After what must have seemed an eternity,

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help has finally arrived,

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both on the ground and in the air.

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They make it sound straightforward, but this is a precision winch.

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There's no margin for error up here in the hills.

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It's quite remote, quite lonely,

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and to be injured in that sort of area is quite difficult.

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Obviously, if you're stuck there and you're injured,

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it's places you don't want to be.

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The MRT send an urgent message from below.

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The downdraught from the rotor blades

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is in danger of dislodging rocks above the rescue site.

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We produce a lot of downwash,

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and when we're set up at 40, 50 feet above,

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we're probably producing about 70 knots of wind.

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That's going to pick up any of the loose rocks and any debris

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and move it, and if you're working below, that's quite dangerous.

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70 knots is the equivalent of 80 miles an hour,

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officially hurricane force.

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Now a winch is out of the question,

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the MRT will have to carry Michael out of the gully.

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Easier said than done.

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Coming up, Owen finds more than he bargained for

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in the Brecon forest...

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What's that for, then?

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..the mountain rescue team struggle to get Michael out of the gully...

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..but first, a young footballer has been rushed

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to the Penzance Urgent Care Centre.

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It'll get better, all right?

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Head down the Cornish peninsula

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until you almost fall off the tip

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and you'll find beautiful beaches, pretty coves

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and a historic working harbour.

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Well and truly on Cornwall's tourist trail,

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this is Penzance.

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The local population, boosted by the swarms of summer visitors,

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warrant the town having its own urgent care centre.

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The nearest full-on hospital with A&E is in Truro,

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30 miles away.

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The staff here in Penzance include specially trained GPs and nurses,

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who work alongside hospital doctors...

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like staff nurse Eddie Mabgwe.

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He's used to handling all sorts of traumas.

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So this may sting a little bit.

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He enjoys the slower pace of life down here in Cornwall.

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But he's often dealing with injuries caught on the run.

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What kind of injury are we dealing with?

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A leg injury, possible fracture.

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Hopefully help the pain a bit.

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OK, so get him into the cubicle there,

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get him a trolley and we'll get you sorted.

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Footy-mad Francis has injured his leg

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in the first game of the season.

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But it's not his first trip to the urgent care centre.

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Ow!

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There you go. Right, Francis, you can call me Eddie, OK?

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Been here before to look after you?

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Yeah, when I fractured my...

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Oh, did I look after you before?

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Yeah, when I buckled my hand.

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Oh, how long ago was that, then?

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-Last year.

-Oh, last year.

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Well remembered! OK.

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14-year-old Francis has a nasty injury,

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but he's hoping it's not going to spell the end of his season.

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Nice and gentle. Excellent. Right.

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Good to meet you. I'm Eddie, one of the nurses here, OK?

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-Is that Dad?

-Hello, mate.

-Nice to meet you, hello.

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Did you actually see it happen?

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We didn't see it, but what we know is he got pushed into the dugout

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-and went flying in.

-Which is concrete.

-Concrete?

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-Yeah.

-Went smack.

-We think his leg smacked into it.

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At first we thought he hurt his head, but he didn't.

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-And did he get up straight away after that?

-No.

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The pain is really kicking in,

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so Francis is given gas and air.

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The reality of what has happened is starting to hit home.

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All right, don't worry. It'll mend up and get better, all right?

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Hopefully it's not broken, all right?

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-Hopefully it's just going to be a big, bad bruise and it's just going to go down...

-Hopefully.

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-Hey?

-Hopefully.

-Yeah, hopefully so.

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It may be the beautiful game

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but even a fair tackle can have not so pretty consequences.

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Ball was in midair, then cleared it away,

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then it was going out for a throw.

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I was trying to keep it in and someone pushed me

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into the dugout and my leg felt a crack.

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So it really hurt.

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To find out if it's fractured, his leg is X-rayed.

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Any movement is excruciating.

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HE GROANS

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That's it, boy.

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Ow.

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While we take the picture,

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we'll have to get your dad to stand behind the screen over there.

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Behind his head?

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Just behind the screen here.

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So, really very still.

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Try not to move.

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Still as you can, just for a few more seconds.

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In the time it takes to get Francis back to the ward,

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Eddie's already getting the results.

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Oh!

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Bad news.

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It's a nasty double fracture,

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which explains the horrendous pain.

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How do you think it went, the X-ray?

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-OK.

-You've broken it.

-Oh!

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Your main bone, that's actually there, so it's halfway.

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The swelling is there, you've actually broken it in two places,

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-so it's like a spiral fracture across.

-Oh, I understand.

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That's why all that swelling, that's why it's so painful for you as well.

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-How long will I be out, roughly?

-Oh...

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You're talking about four to six weeks out of football.

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But there may be one perk.

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Francis reckons he might be able to wriggle out of washing-up duty.

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That means I don't have to do dishes for six weeks.

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Don't know about that.

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We can always bring a bowl to you or something.

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I'm joking!

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We're only winding you up. Don't wind him up.

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Eddie's been in touch with a fracture specialist in Truro,

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who wants to reassess the injury in a week.

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So, for now, it's a full-leg cast.

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If it's too painful, let me know, OK?

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Then we can stop and give you some more painkillers.

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This is going to be really sore.

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But he's keeping it together, poor lad.

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-Is it your first time in plaster then, is it?

-Yeah.

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Hopefully be the last, hey, mate?

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HE SOBS

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I know it's hurting, darling.

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Nearly there.

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It's important we get it in the right position for you, mate.

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It's not too bad, actually. It's quite straight.

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-It looks all right, OK?

-Ow!

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Nearly there now. Excellent.

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If you're holding a part here now, that's it.

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Over at last,

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and it looks like the extra pain relief is finally kicking in.

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-That's it, well done. A bit woozy?

-That's normal.

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After a short, well-earned rest, there's one last thing to do.

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That's better, there.

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Take it easy. What you need to do, don't swing all the way.

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Crutches forward. That's it.

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Then do the crutch there, with the line. Excellent.

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Crotch forward again, to the line, excellent. You see?

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You're like a pro in them!

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For now, there's the novelty of crutches.

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But something tells me

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that's not going to make up for missing the season.

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The Brecon Beacons in Wales, a vast wilderness.

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Earlier, a parked car caught the attention of Sergeant Owen Dillon

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from Brecon's Roads Policing Unit.

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What I'm interested in, to start with, what's inside it.

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What I'll be looking for is any sort of drug paraphernalia,

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any sort of tools or anything.

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It looks like the owners of the car have set up camp nearby.

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Yeah, I'll come back to you, WH. The reception's gone.

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I'll come back to you now.

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With the signal gone, Owen had no radio contact with base

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as he headed into the woods to check out the scene from above.

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DOG BARKS

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Just want to have a look down above them.

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It's an intimidating situation to walk into alone.

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Owen is keen to make sure whoever is doing all the barking

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is under control.

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You all right, guys? Just the one dog you've got, is it?

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Just the one dog?

0:24:550:24:57

Still tied up, is it? Cool.

0:25:010:25:03

Is that your car there, is it? You all right? Stay where you are.

0:25:110:25:14

Stay where you are.

0:25:140:25:15

You come in here as well, mate.

0:25:150:25:17

Right, looking at your eyes, all right,

0:25:170:25:19

there's indication you've taken some drugs.

0:25:190:25:21

You've possibly got some cannabis on you, have you? Stay still.

0:25:210:25:24

You have, haven't you? You don't move to say no, do you?

0:25:240:25:27

I can see there's a saw there. Is there any blades or anything in here?

0:25:270:25:31

-No.

-Right. OK. Get the rules sorted. I'm going to search you nicely.

0:25:310:25:36

If there's nothing here, I'll be leaving you in peace.

0:25:360:25:38

Do not move or do anything unless I tell you.

0:25:380:25:41

Working on your own, you've got to think a lot earlier about what could happen.

0:25:410:25:45

For example, for this particular case, you know, turning up

0:25:450:25:47

when there's a number of people out in a tent,

0:25:470:25:51

a good 20 minutes or half an hour away from any sort of backup,

0:25:510:25:55

so you've just got to be on the ball and er,

0:25:550:25:57

you've got to portray that image that you're in control straight away.

0:25:570:26:00

Because if you show that you're not in control, you don't

0:26:000:26:03

know what you're doing, then people will just run rings around you.

0:26:030:26:07

Owen must balance being totally in charge with keeping

0:26:070:26:10

the campers onside.

0:26:100:26:13

Nice hat, by the way. I wouldn't have thought you might have had any cannabis on you

0:26:130:26:17

with that hat, would I?

0:26:170:26:19

Couldn't you...couldn't you...

0:26:190:26:20

Couldn't you get a bigger cannabis leaf on your head? Eh?

0:26:200:26:23

Anything you want to tell me about?

0:26:260:26:27

-Don't pull away from me.

-I ain't.

0:26:270:26:29

Don't. Pull. Away from me, all right? Look. Face towards me. Right.

0:26:290:26:33

Have you got anything on you now? Turn your...

0:26:330:26:35

Turn round and face that way.

0:26:350:26:37

Worried that one of the three men is a bit jumpy

0:26:370:26:39

and might do a runner, Owen gets the cuffs out.

0:26:390:26:42

Have you been up here camping before?

0:26:450:26:47

What's that for, then?

0:26:520:26:53

You did have a ball. Did you hit it too hard or something?

0:26:560:27:02

Guys, I'm a fairly persistent guy. I can smell a bit of the old cannabis.

0:27:020:27:05

I'm getting all the indications. I'll just keep searching until I find it.

0:27:050:27:09

So it may be easier to tell me where it is.

0:27:090:27:13

-Huh?

-It's over there.

0:27:130:27:15

Over where? Behind this, is it? In here?

0:27:150:27:18

Cannabis is the most commonly used illegal drug in Britain.

0:27:240:27:28

These guys might think that out here they're out of reach of the law.

0:27:280:27:32

-Think again.

-Right, possession of cannabis is an offence, guys, right?

0:27:320:27:36

You don't have to say anything but it may harm your defence if not mentioned when questioned

0:27:360:27:40

something which you later rely on.

0:27:400:27:41

Anything you do say may be given in evidence.

0:27:410:27:43

I'm going to do checks on you in a second. This is your box, all right?

0:27:430:27:47

I think we'll...look, it's your possession for now,

0:27:470:27:50

and we'll see where we go with the others, all right?

0:27:500:27:52

They've been cautioned.

0:27:530:27:54

Now Owen takes them to his vehicle to do the paperwork.

0:27:540:27:59

What's going to happen now, you're going to get a fixed penalty

0:27:590:28:02

for disorder, for possession of cannabis.

0:28:020:28:03

If you fail to comply with this, you are going to end up going to court.

0:28:030:28:06

-All right? Understand?

-Yeah.

-You understand as well in the back there, mate? Yeah?

0:28:060:28:10

That caution applies to you as well and you're also going to be reported for possession of cannabis,

0:28:100:28:15

-all right? OK? Happy?

-Yeah.

0:28:150:28:17

Well, as happy as you can be about to get a £90 fine.

0:28:170:28:19

It's been an expensive weekend.

0:28:220:28:24

But the law mightn't be so lenient next time.

0:28:240:28:27

Maybe worth rethinking the headgear, lads.

0:28:270:28:31

All the best.

0:28:310:28:32

I was satisfied with the outcome there

0:28:380:28:40

because they came away with fines for the possession of cannabis.

0:28:400:28:44

Didn't need to take them into custody

0:28:440:28:46

so it meant firstly I could carry on my patrol and er, it meant

0:28:460:28:50

that they could carry on enjoying themselves but minus their cannabis.

0:28:500:28:54

It's all in a day's work for Owen,

0:28:550:28:57

a man who knows how to see the grass from the trees.

0:28:570:29:00

The Lake District.

0:29:060:29:08

Magnificent and beautiful but with an unforgiving edge.

0:29:080:29:12

Hill-walker Michael has fallen victim to the rough

0:29:130:29:16

terrain of Haystacks Fell.

0:29:160:29:19

He's trapped at the bottom of this gully and he's badly hurt.

0:29:190:29:23

This sort of incident happens a couple of times each year, where

0:29:250:29:28

people are out walking and they slip on this rock or something

0:29:280:29:31

and end up in quite precarious positions.

0:29:310:29:36

The Navy helicopter's winching gear was expected to make

0:29:370:29:40

the rescue straightforward.

0:29:400:29:42

But with loose rocks and boulders below, it was too dangerous.

0:29:430:29:48

'177 Charlie C.'

0:29:480:29:50

So now, the Cockermouth Mountain Rescue volunteers have taken charge on the ground.

0:29:590:30:04

The operation's been caught on mobile phone.

0:30:050:30:07

Michael's immobilised on a stretcher.

0:30:090:30:12

The rescue team are using a system of ropes and pulleys

0:30:120:30:15

to carefully move him out of the gulley.

0:30:150:30:18

Michael's two daughters and wife wait anxiously above.

0:30:180:30:21

And they had a sort of almost like a liaison person for the family

0:30:230:30:27

to come and tell us what was happening, what they were doing,

0:30:270:30:31

how he was doing, and they were just really good.

0:30:310:30:33

It's in challenging rescues like this that the mountain rescue teams

0:30:350:30:38

really come into their own.

0:30:380:30:41

This casualty fell about 30 feet.

0:30:440:30:47

He was quite lucky in many respects, because the gully then fell away.

0:30:470:30:50

If he'd continued down for another ten or 15 metres, it would have

0:30:500:30:54

been a fatal fall of several hundred feet.

0:30:540:30:56

These mountains claim lives every year.

0:31:000:31:03

Michael is one of the lucky ones.

0:31:030:31:05

The mountain rescue team packaged the casualty in situ

0:31:080:31:11

and then they moved him out of the gully

0:31:110:31:12

and up to the top of the ridge line, and at that point, we were able

0:31:120:31:16

to launch, land on, and actually just embark him rather than winch him.

0:31:160:31:20

It's taken the best part of an hour

0:31:270:31:29

but they've reached the top of the gully.

0:31:290:31:31

Despite his lengthy ordeal, Michael's in remarkable spirits.

0:31:310:31:36

-You've done a great job. Thank you very much.

-No worries.

0:31:360:31:39

-Sorry to be so stupid.

-These things happen.

0:31:390:31:42

Michael is going by helicopter

0:31:440:31:47

but his family will have to make their own way off the hill.

0:31:470:31:50

Bye. Thank you very much. Safe journey back. Safe walk back.

0:31:520:31:56

-Right, it's going to get very, very noisy.

-Yes, OK.

0:31:570:32:00

Just don't worry about that.

0:32:000:32:02

The MRT are feeling the force of the powerful downdraught.

0:32:080:32:12

'Just go back to the right into the five o'clock, about two yards.'

0:32:150:32:20

HELICOPTER DROWNS SPEECH

0:32:200:32:23

The terrain is too rough for landing so pilot Jamie Ross

0:32:280:32:32

keeps the chopper hovering just a foot above the ground.

0:32:320:32:35

As they hand Michael over, it's a job well done by the volunteers

0:32:420:32:46

of Cockermouth MRT.

0:32:460:32:48

'Lift off now. Straight up.'

0:33:030:33:06

'Charlie, this is 177.'

0:33:180:33:20

On-board, Florry checks to see

0:33:280:33:30

if Michael's damaged more than his leg.

0:33:300:33:32

A few minutes later, they touch down on the helipad

0:33:470:33:50

at the West Cumberland Hospital in Whitehaven.

0:33:500:33:53

One last journey by ambulance

0:33:540:33:56

and then Michael will finally get the medical care he badly needs.

0:33:560:34:00

My right leg is in a real mess, I'm afraid. Um...

0:34:020:34:06

No bones broken but you know, there's a lot of open flesh. Yeah.

0:34:060:34:11

In fact, I count myself extremely lucky.

0:34:140:34:17

I had an orange whistle on me which I blew like crazy

0:34:170:34:20

until one of my two gracious, lovely daughters found me.

0:34:200:34:24

Very happy.

0:34:240:34:26

Back in the harbour town of Penzance, the West Cornwall

0:34:470:34:50

Hospital's Urgent Care Centre is open for business 24 hours a day.

0:34:500:34:55

People with all kinds of ailments come through the doors,

0:34:550:34:58

including the usual dose of DIY disasters.

0:34:580:35:01

One of these has just arrived.

0:35:010:35:03

After a decade in nursing and with a background in minor injuries,

0:35:040:35:09

not much fazes staff nurse Eddie Mabgwe.

0:35:090:35:12

So what happened today?

0:35:120:35:14

I rolled a bit of granite

0:35:140:35:15

and my little finger got caught between it when it fell.

0:35:150:35:19

Ah.

0:35:190:35:20

Oh, dear, yeah.

0:35:230:35:25

-A bit of granite? I think that was a heavy granite, wasn't it?

-It was.

0:35:250:35:28

How long ago was this?

0:35:280:35:30

-Less than an hour ago?

-Yeah, less than an hour.

0:35:300:35:32

Eddie already suspects nerve damage

0:35:330:35:36

and the sooner a nerve injury is treated,

0:35:360:35:39

the better the chance of recovery.

0:35:390:35:40

OK.

0:35:400:35:42

Do you feel me touching you there?

0:35:420:35:44

-Can you feel that?

-No.

-No.

0:35:440:35:46

-Can you feel that?

-No.

-OK.

0:35:460:35:49

So it's obviously got nerve damage, there.

0:35:490:35:51

-I feel that.

-And there?

-Mm-hm.

0:35:510:35:52

-And you feel there?

-Yeah.

-OK.

0:35:520:35:55

So basically what we'll do...

0:35:550:35:57

First of all, we're just going to need to X-ray that

0:35:570:36:00

cos I don't know how far...

0:36:000:36:01

-whether it included the bone, as well.

-Yeah.

-OK.

0:36:010:36:04

So we'll do an X-ray. We take it from there.

0:36:040:36:07

I was rolling a bit of granite

0:36:070:36:09

and it just rolled awkward and trapped my hand.

0:36:090:36:12

It was near a hole so it fell down the hole

0:36:140:36:16

and caught my finger against the...

0:36:160:36:18

another piece of granite.

0:36:180:36:20

It's not really hurting but he said the nerves are not feeling anything

0:36:200:36:23

so that's probably why.

0:36:230:36:25

It's important to get the full picture

0:36:250:36:27

so Terry gets the right treatment.

0:36:270:36:30

Right, I'll give you some painkillers

0:36:300:36:32

and then we'll do an X-ray of that for you. OK?

0:36:320:36:34

Eddie orders an X-ray to see if the bone's fractured.

0:36:340:36:38

If it's badly damaged, Terry will have to go to Truro straight away.

0:36:380:36:42

Unfortunately, the X-ray reveals a nasty break.

0:36:440:36:48

Eddie wants Terry to see for himself.

0:36:500:36:53

-Come and have a look.

-I won't know what I'm really looking at anyway!

0:36:530:36:56

-So that's your little finger.

-Mm-hm.

-And it's snapped across there.

0:36:580:37:01

-So, what can we do about it?

-What we'll do...

0:37:010:37:03

Yeah, the doctor's going to come and have a look

0:37:030:37:05

-but we're going to need to send you up to Truro.

-Truro.

0:37:050:37:08

-Because you need to be seen by the orthopaedics team.

-OK.

0:37:080:37:11

So I'll put a cannula in, take some bloods, OK?

0:37:110:37:15

And then we'll give you a shot of antibiotics.

0:37:150:37:17

-OK.

-IV antibiotics. OK?

0:37:170:37:19

And then we'll take it from there. So, pain-wise? It's still...?

0:37:190:37:22

-At the moment, it's still controllable.

-OK.

0:37:220:37:25

Come and take a seat here. Oh, the ring.

0:37:250:37:27

Yeah, we'll need to take the ring off as well.

0:37:270:37:29

To get that off, it'll have to be cut off.

0:37:290:37:31

Eddie's not reaching for the metal cutters just yet.

0:37:330:37:36

But one way or another, the ring needs to come off.

0:37:360:37:40

With any injured limbs,

0:37:420:37:44

there is the potential that it's going to swell up.

0:37:440:37:46

So if it does swell up,

0:37:460:37:48

that will start cutting off the supply of blood to the finger

0:37:480:37:52

so you don't want him to have to lose another finger as well.

0:37:520:37:55

So we'll just take everything off, really.

0:37:550:37:57

It's very, very tight on there.

0:37:570:37:59

Well, if I have to cut it, we'll cut it.

0:37:590:38:01

OK?

0:38:010:38:02

Eddie's convinced his industrial strength lubricants

0:38:020:38:05

will do the trick.

0:38:050:38:07

It feels like it's moving now.

0:38:070:38:09

Bingo!

0:38:090:38:10

I never thought that would come off!

0:38:100:38:13

I saved your ring.

0:38:130:38:15

Terry looks chuffed.

0:38:160:38:18

Senior staff nurse Verity Harding gives Eddie a hand

0:38:180:38:22

by cleaning the wound while he sorts out some antibiotics.

0:38:220:38:25

Terry's wife missed Eddie's expertise

0:38:270:38:29

with her husband's wedding band.

0:38:290:38:31

-You'll not get the ring off.

-It's off.

-Oh, is it?

0:38:310:38:34

-He got them off. VERITY:

-You are still married!

0:38:340:38:37

-It's just a symbol of your union.

-Where is...?

-It's on there.

0:38:370:38:42

-EDDIE:

-I tried to save it.

-That must have been very difficult, to get that off.

0:38:420:38:45

A little bit of gel and then it came off quite easily.

0:38:450:38:49

Come on, you were struggling!

0:38:490:38:52

Their job done, time for Penzance Urgent Care Centre to pass him on.

0:38:520:38:57

Hopefully Truro can fix him up.

0:38:570:39:00

Fingers crossed!

0:39:000:39:01

Late on a summer's evening,

0:39:130:39:15

hill-walker Michael arrived by helicopter

0:39:150:39:17

at the West Cumberland Hospital

0:39:170:39:19

after a complicated rescue.

0:39:190:39:21

Seconds after this photo was taken by his daughter Imogen,

0:39:280:39:31

Michael fell 30 feet,

0:39:310:39:33

landing in a stream at the bottom of a rocky gully.

0:39:330:39:36

He was trapped there in pain and shock

0:39:360:39:39

for nearly three hours.

0:39:390:39:41

When I fell, the big rock that I was holding onto

0:39:410:39:44

just started coming back towards me,

0:39:440:39:46

so I had to jump back off it.

0:39:460:39:48

But since I was on a precipitous slope, I couldn't gain any leverage.

0:39:480:39:52

I remember somersaulting once, at least twice,

0:39:520:39:55

not knowing what was up and down, trying to grab onto things

0:39:550:39:59

and not being able to, and gaining speed.

0:39:590:40:01

And I think eventually I must have hit a rock and blacked out

0:40:010:40:05

because I don't remember any more.

0:40:050:40:07

I woke up in this deep ravine, a stream.

0:40:090:40:12

And immediately, I stood up and tried to climb out.

0:40:120:40:16

I mean, I was aware I had been hurt

0:40:160:40:18

and tried not to look at my knee too much

0:40:180:40:20

but it all worked, I could stand up.

0:40:200:40:22

I was in this stream, in a waterfall,

0:40:220:40:24

and I tried to climb out.

0:40:240:40:26

But eventually I realised there was no way.

0:40:260:40:28

Even an experienced climber couldn't have got out of there.

0:40:280:40:31

So I was resigned to the fact that I was going to have to call for help

0:40:310:40:34

and it hit me hard that, you know,

0:40:340:40:36

I couldn't cope, couldn't manage.

0:40:360:40:39

The alarm was raised and the Mountain Rescue team arrived

0:40:400:40:44

to find Michael with severe damage to his right leg and knee.

0:40:440:40:47

It was a very complicated procedure to get me out of there.

0:40:510:40:54

They were going to use a winch to lift me out

0:40:540:40:56

but they decided it was too dangerous

0:40:560:40:58

so they had to lift me back up the stream

0:40:580:41:01

and over the waterfalls by hand. Oh, amazing!

0:41:010:41:04

To be part of that was actually quite a privilege - to witness it.

0:41:040:41:07

Although obviously not a good condition to be in.

0:41:070:41:10

To enjoy it is not the right word

0:41:100:41:12

because I don't want anybody to go through that

0:41:120:41:14

but it was very interesting.

0:41:140:41:16

And the insight into how these professional people work,

0:41:160:41:20

and also the volunteers of the Cockermouth Mountain Rescue,

0:41:200:41:23

who were fantastic,

0:41:230:41:24

to see them work as a team, brilliant to be part of that!

0:41:240:41:28

It was a privilege.

0:41:280:41:30

At home in Wimbledon, the family,

0:41:340:41:36

including heroes of the moment - daughters Imogen and Bethany,

0:41:360:41:40

look back at their holiday in the Lakes.

0:41:400:41:42

There was another.

0:41:420:41:43

-It was more recent.

-Oh, that was great, actually.

0:41:430:41:45

What was the one with the...

0:41:450:41:47

-Oh, yeah, that.

-..where we came through the clouds?

0:41:470:41:50

Two months on, gardener Michael is still struggling with his injuries -

0:41:500:41:54

a fractured kneecap and damaged ligaments.

0:41:540:41:57

I'm very lucky to be here.

0:41:580:42:00

And I'm very lucky that I only hurt my knee.

0:42:000:42:03

If it had been my head, my back, my neck,

0:42:030:42:06

it could have been a very different outcome.

0:42:060:42:09

I'm very keen to get back on with life.

0:42:090:42:12

But I'm a very impatient patient

0:42:120:42:14

and just want to get back to normal as soon as possible.

0:42:140:42:17

For now, the family are just happy that Michael survived the fall

0:42:190:42:23

that fateful day on the fells.

0:42:230:42:26

Maybe next time he'll pass on the photo opp.

0:42:260:42:29

It's been a busy time for Britain's rural emergency services.

0:42:380:42:42

Terry's squashed finger needed several stitches

0:42:450:42:47

and a night in hospital.

0:42:470:42:49

It was touch and go but the specialists managed to save the tip.

0:42:490:42:53

Footballer Francis is out of plaster and back in training.

0:42:530:42:56

He's got to take it easy, though. Doctor's orders.

0:42:560:43:00

And fell-walker Michael continues to make good progress.

0:43:000:43:04

He's ditched the crutches

0:43:040:43:05

but it could be a year before he's back on the hills.

0:43:050:43:08

Quiet in the countryside?

0:43:100:43:12

I don't think so.

0:43:120:43:13

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