0:00:02 > 0:00:05The British weather is a constant topic of conversation.
0:00:05 > 0:00:09Often unpredictable, it's now having an even bigger effect on our lives.
0:00:09 > 0:00:12Dangerous floods threaten our homes.
0:00:12 > 0:00:15Forest fires devastate our countryside.
0:00:15 > 0:00:18Savage storms ravage our coastlines.
0:00:19 > 0:00:23Today, we find out what happens to Britain when it's hit by freak weather.
0:00:25 > 0:00:28We hear the stories of people's lives
0:00:28 > 0:00:31who have been turned upside down by the totally unexpected.
0:00:35 > 0:00:38And we show you how to protect yourself, your home
0:00:38 > 0:00:40and your family from disaster.
0:00:40 > 0:00:42Welcome to Living Dangerously.
0:00:49 > 0:00:52We've all seen reports of tornadoes, hail storms and flooding.
0:00:52 > 0:00:57What's it really like when extreme weather wrecks your life?
0:00:57 > 0:00:59Today, we hear two true stories.
0:01:00 > 0:01:02Coming up on Living Dangerously...
0:01:02 > 0:01:05A ferocious storm in the Lake District in October 2008
0:01:05 > 0:01:09threatens to leave thousands of fell runners stranded on a hillside.
0:01:09 > 0:01:16With not being able to move my legs, I didn't know whether I'd shattered my hip.
0:01:16 > 0:01:20For one keen animal lover, her perfect day turns into a nightmare
0:01:20 > 0:01:24when her horse becomes trapped in mud.
0:01:24 > 0:01:27When the vet got there, she assessed the problem and then
0:01:27 > 0:01:30she told us all that she didn't think she'd make it.
0:01:30 > 0:01:34With home video, actual footage and reconstruction, we show
0:01:34 > 0:01:38what happened during these real-life weather events.
0:01:44 > 0:01:50The breathtaking scenery of the Lake District in Cumbria is a haven for lovers of the great outdoors.
0:01:50 > 0:01:55It's a popular location for dedicated hill-walkers, but also for more adventurous
0:01:55 > 0:02:00enthusiasts who love to race across the peaks in orienteering challenges,
0:02:00 > 0:02:05something 21-year-old medical student Liz Britton is addicted to.
0:02:05 > 0:02:09Dad started me off for the orienteering, because it's running
0:02:09 > 0:02:13we have the think about what you're doing, so you don't get distracted.
0:02:13 > 0:02:16I like the challenge of it.
0:02:16 > 0:02:21This passion for orienteering runs in Liz's family, with her sister Emily
0:02:21 > 0:02:23and father John all strongly competitive.
0:02:25 > 0:02:27Everything is your own doing.
0:02:27 > 0:02:30You choose your own route. If it works, it's your success.
0:02:30 > 0:02:32If it doesn't, it's your fault.
0:02:33 > 0:02:38When you get round a good orienteering course quickly,
0:02:38 > 0:02:42then it's something you can be very pleased about.
0:02:42 > 0:02:45It's you against the elements.
0:02:45 > 0:02:48Knowing that you can overcome
0:02:48 > 0:02:52those obstacles, and the weather...
0:02:52 > 0:02:57It's just a real mental challenge, and it's such a good feeling when you get round it.
0:02:58 > 0:03:01Dashing across a hostile terrain while dealing with
0:03:01 > 0:03:07the unpredictable British weather is what makes orienteer fell running such a challenging adventure sport.
0:03:07 > 0:03:14With Liz deciding to take on a gruelling mountain marathon in the Lake District, where runners have to
0:03:14 > 0:03:21compete in couples in case one gets injured, she teamed up with good friend Rachel Findlay-Robinson.
0:03:21 > 0:03:24Liz had done them before and I hadn't,
0:03:24 > 0:03:29so it's always nice to have someone else who knows what they're doing,
0:03:29 > 0:03:31to rely on for something like that.
0:03:31 > 0:03:34She just rang me up one day and said, do you fancy doing it?
0:03:34 > 0:03:35I said, "OK, why not?"
0:03:36 > 0:03:44The first day of the Original Mountain Marathon was held in the Lake District on October 25th, 2008.
0:03:44 > 0:03:48It's a brutal race, that's held over a weekend and sees fell runners
0:03:48 > 0:03:54sprinting across a difficult terrain for 26 miles a day.
0:03:54 > 0:03:57Rain had battered the Lake District in the days leading up to the race,
0:03:57 > 0:04:03and the weather forecast was for more heavy rain, as well as strong winds.
0:04:03 > 0:04:08With the 2,500 competitors being experienced athletes and mountaineers
0:04:08 > 0:04:14who are used to coping with challenging weather, it was decided the race would go ahead.
0:04:14 > 0:04:20The runners were told to stick to bad weather tracks, and avoid high ridges.
0:04:20 > 0:04:23It's the Lake District at the end of October, and part of
0:04:23 > 0:04:28the challenge of doing it is the extreme weather conditions.
0:04:28 > 0:04:32We weren't expecting it to be quite as extreme as it was.
0:04:33 > 0:04:37We were pleased the event wasn't cancelled.
0:04:37 > 0:04:38We went along,
0:04:38 > 0:04:43hoping that the weather wasn't going to be as bad as it was forecast to be.
0:04:46 > 0:04:50On the morning of the race, it was overcast and blustery.
0:04:50 > 0:04:54The runners had staggered start times,
0:04:54 > 0:04:57and there was a great atmosphere as competitors waited to go off.
0:04:57 > 0:04:59It's going to be great. We're up for it.
0:05:01 > 0:05:02We were all in really good spirits when we set off.
0:05:02 > 0:05:07There was a really lovely lady at the start, who was throwing out banter on the megaphone.
0:05:07 > 0:05:09It was a really good feeling.
0:05:09 > 0:05:14Dad John and sister Emily had teamed together, and were up first.
0:05:14 > 0:05:17The problem was, the weather began changing.
0:05:18 > 0:05:22Up to about 9 o'clock, it was all looking miserable but
0:05:22 > 0:05:26wasn't actually doing anything.
0:05:26 > 0:05:31About a quarter of an hour before we started, it started absolutely pouring down.
0:05:33 > 0:05:39John and Emily set off anyway, with Liz and Rachel following a half-hour later.
0:05:39 > 0:05:42By now, the rain had turned into a relentless downpour.
0:05:42 > 0:05:45It wasn't just the rain lashing against the runners.
0:05:45 > 0:05:49It got much worse, as the wind started to pick up too.
0:05:51 > 0:05:55It managed to get under your feet, and as you lifted them
0:05:55 > 0:05:59to try and jog down the hill, it would just pick you up and you could go several metres.
0:05:59 > 0:06:05You could see people running down the hills and then being swept off their feet by the wind.
0:06:09 > 0:06:14We got up on the first summit, and the wind was absolutely horrendous.
0:06:15 > 0:06:20At that point we began to think, if this carries on, it's not going
0:06:20 > 0:06:21to be much fun.
0:06:25 > 0:06:30But it did carry on, and over the next hour, the weather turned fouler and fouler.
0:06:30 > 0:06:35Winds estimated at 40 mph added to the persistent heavy rain
0:06:35 > 0:06:39now pounding the hills and mountains of the Lake District,
0:06:39 > 0:06:43making conditions extremely heavy going for the fell runners.
0:06:43 > 0:06:48Competitors were determined to battle the elements and continue the race.
0:06:51 > 0:06:57Me and Emily actually held each other, and walked three-legged for support
0:06:57 > 0:07:01on the fiercest piece of wind on the top.
0:07:01 > 0:07:04Either one by themselves was in danger of being blown away.
0:07:05 > 0:07:11My eyes were watering, my glasses were steamed up, the map was covered in water.
0:07:11 > 0:07:13By now we'd been going a couple of hours,
0:07:13 > 0:07:17so we were beginning to get a bit weary.
0:07:17 > 0:07:19At that point,
0:07:19 > 0:07:22you realise that this is very serious.
0:07:25 > 0:07:28It would only get worse. Over the next hour,
0:07:28 > 0:07:32the high winds got steadily stronger, increasing to 50 mph.
0:07:32 > 0:07:36To add to the danger, the heavy rain produced flash floods
0:07:36 > 0:07:40that caused normally genteel rivers to burst their banks,
0:07:40 > 0:07:46and turned trickling streams into raging torrents, while paths became treacherous water courses.
0:07:49 > 0:07:54For the time being, the 2,500 fell runners were struggling on to get to the finish line.
0:07:54 > 0:08:02Soon, the Original Mountain Marathon would become less of a race, and more of a fight for survival.
0:08:03 > 0:08:08You could tell the rivers were getting really, really fast.
0:08:08 > 0:08:11We had to cross a couple near the tops.
0:08:13 > 0:08:17I was getting a bit uncomfortable, because they did look really, really fast.
0:08:17 > 0:08:20It was at this point that Liz and Rachel caught up
0:08:20 > 0:08:24with dad John and sister Emily at a control checkpoint.
0:08:24 > 0:08:31As a four, we made the mistake of just heading down into the valley from that control.
0:08:31 > 0:08:36Very quickly, all the streams were beginning to get much, much bigger.
0:08:36 > 0:08:39You then realised, there's going to be an issue getting across.
0:08:41 > 0:08:44The streams were swollen with fast-moving water.
0:08:44 > 0:08:47The only way to continue the race was to go through them.
0:08:47 > 0:08:52Determined to go on, the two teams decided to split up.
0:08:52 > 0:08:55John and Emily just wanted to get to the finish line, so chose to head
0:08:55 > 0:09:00back up the hills, where they hoped the streams would be less fierce and easier to cross.
0:09:00 > 0:09:03While Liz and Rachel, still in a competitive mood, resolved
0:09:03 > 0:09:06to take their chances crossing the streams further down in the valley.
0:09:09 > 0:09:12It was equally windy either direction, it was equally
0:09:12 > 0:09:15rainy either direction, so you may as well carry on.
0:09:16 > 0:09:20A month's worth of rain was to fall in just one day over the Lake District.
0:09:20 > 0:09:23Now, three hours into the race, hundreds of marathon runners were
0:09:23 > 0:09:30being stranded on the mountain as all avenues back to safety were blocked by raging rivers and streams,
0:09:30 > 0:09:36with the conditions exacerbated by driving rain, and winds approaching storm force.
0:09:38 > 0:09:42Down in the valley, Liz and Rachel were determined to finish the race,
0:09:42 > 0:09:48but to do that, they faced a dangerous obstacle, a swollen and torrid stream.
0:09:48 > 0:09:53It was pretty deep - it was a lot deeper than it looked.
0:09:53 > 0:09:55You could see the power of the water going down the river.
0:09:55 > 0:09:58But there wasn't really anything else we could do.
0:09:58 > 0:10:02Whichever way we went, we had to get across the stream to go anywhere.
0:10:02 > 0:10:08We just found what we thought would be a reasonable place, where it was quite narrow
0:10:08 > 0:10:12and not a massive drop from the banks into the river,
0:10:12 > 0:10:15so we could get out quickly and try to cross there.
0:10:15 > 0:10:19Rachel got a stable footing in, and I stepped out to the level she was that.
0:10:19 > 0:10:21As I took my next step,
0:10:21 > 0:10:25the gravel below my foot just went away.
0:10:25 > 0:10:31I could feel there was a massive torrent, and it just went straight under me.
0:10:34 > 0:10:38I knew that I was going to be swept down. I didn't want to pull her in with me,
0:10:38 > 0:10:43because I knew that it was a strong enough current that we'd both go under if I kept on.
0:10:43 > 0:10:45So I let go.
0:10:45 > 0:10:48Coming up later on Living Dangerously -
0:10:48 > 0:10:53as fell runner Liz is swept away by surging waters, how will she survive?
0:10:53 > 0:10:57I was aware that I was hitting my head, and my back. It hurt a lot.
0:11:07 > 0:11:12When it comes to Britain's extreme and unpredictable weather,
0:11:12 > 0:11:16it's not just humans that get caught out when it strikes.
0:11:16 > 0:11:23Our four-legged friends can also end up in all kinds of perilous danger due to the unforgiving elements.
0:11:23 > 0:11:26There's help at hand for them. The fire brigade.
0:11:26 > 0:11:32They don't just risk it all to pluck people out of burning buildings, or go into raging fires.
0:11:34 > 0:11:39They're here to save all lives, and that means our pets too.
0:11:39 > 0:11:43They have specialist teams scattered across the UK to rescue animals that
0:11:43 > 0:11:46have fallen particularly foul of the British weather,
0:11:46 > 0:11:50something Merseyside fire fighter John Lloyd-Young knows all about.
0:11:53 > 0:11:54The search and rescue team
0:11:54 > 0:11:58was set up within Merseyside Fire Service about five years ago.
0:11:58 > 0:12:01It was brought in to play for any major incidents,
0:12:01 > 0:12:03and any specialist rescues they might need.
0:12:03 > 0:12:07It could be any road traffic collisions, animal rescues, anything that needs
0:12:07 > 0:12:10a little bit more knowledge and understanding.
0:12:13 > 0:12:17And it was this specialist team that was to prove invaluable for one woman,
0:12:17 > 0:12:21when they came to the rescue of Penny, a seven year-old Welsh cob.
0:12:21 > 0:12:28Penny is looked after at the Barnston Riding Centre in the Wirral by stable hand Rachel.
0:12:28 > 0:12:31I started riding when I was about eight or nine.
0:12:31 > 0:12:34I love everything about horses, everything.
0:12:34 > 0:12:37Their kind nature, the way they are around you.
0:12:37 > 0:12:40Somewhere to escape to, isn't it?
0:12:40 > 0:12:45Rachel was on duty when Penny became a victim of freak weather.
0:12:45 > 0:12:51I'm here to find out how the extreme conditions nearly cost the animal her life.
0:12:51 > 0:12:54- Rachel?- Hi!- Hi, I'm Nadia.
0:12:54 > 0:12:56- Pleased to meet you.- Nice to meet you. Thanks for having me here.
0:12:56 > 0:12:59Look at this, amazing!
0:13:01 > 0:13:06This is such a gorgeous place, isn't it? No wonder you love it here.
0:13:06 > 0:13:09- Look at this one!- This is Danny.
0:13:09 > 0:13:11- Does it bite?- He's very friendly.
0:13:11 > 0:13:13- Just put your hand in.- Hello.
0:13:13 > 0:13:15He's really nice, he's quite popular with the kids.
0:13:15 > 0:13:17Beautiful!
0:13:18 > 0:13:21Of all the horses, Rachel's favourite is Penny.
0:13:23 > 0:13:28Penny the horse is about seven to eight years old.
0:13:28 > 0:13:33She's a cob. She's black with a little white stripe down her face, with four white socks.
0:13:33 > 0:13:37She's just a kind-natured horse, really.
0:13:37 > 0:13:41She's always friendly, always wants to see you.
0:13:42 > 0:13:44She's never grumpy or anything.
0:13:45 > 0:13:51Which is why everyone at the stables was devastated when the weather caught them unaware,
0:13:51 > 0:13:54and led to Penny facing a near-death situation earlier this year.
0:13:56 > 0:13:59Britain was experiencing an unusually dry spell.
0:13:59 > 0:14:05With such good weather, it meant that the horses were let out early to graze overnight in the fields.
0:14:05 > 0:14:09In the summertime, they will go out and spend the night on the field.
0:14:09 > 0:14:14In the winter, we'll keep them in because it's so wet and we don't want the fields to get wrecked.
0:14:14 > 0:14:16But this year, you put them out a bit earlier?
0:14:16 > 0:14:21They went out at Easter, because it was so nice over Easter.
0:14:21 > 0:14:24We had really nice weather and we thought, we'll turn them out now.
0:14:28 > 0:14:32On the evening of 11th May 2009, with a forecast for more of the same dry weather,
0:14:32 > 0:14:36the horses were let out into their grazing fields as usual.
0:14:36 > 0:14:39During the night, rain began falling down.
0:14:39 > 0:14:46Unbeknown to the stable hands, parts of the horses' fields were becoming extremely water-logged.
0:14:46 > 0:14:54What's worse, a dried-up pond in nearby woods quickly overfilled and turned into a very sticky bog.
0:14:54 > 0:14:58But by morning, the rain had turned into a misty drizzle.
0:14:58 > 0:15:04The horses' field looked a bit wet and muddy, but nothing particularly untoward.
0:15:04 > 0:15:07Got here at eight o'clock in the morning to start work.
0:15:07 > 0:15:10We decided to get the horses in that were across the road.
0:15:10 > 0:15:13"I shouted down to Kelly, "Where's Penny?
0:15:13 > 0:15:16"You can't see her in the field."
0:15:16 > 0:15:18The girls at the stables searched frantically for Penny,
0:15:18 > 0:15:24and were left shell-shocked when they found her almost completely immersed in the muddy pond.
0:15:27 > 0:15:30I couldn't believe what I was seeing. She was stuck up to her neck.
0:15:30 > 0:15:36She was just so still and lifeless, and couldn't move or anything.
0:15:36 > 0:15:39How did you feel when you saw her like that?
0:15:39 > 0:15:41All my emotions were just running.
0:15:41 > 0:15:44I thought there was no way of getting her out. I couldn't get to her.
0:15:44 > 0:15:48You couldn't stand on the mud or anything. Your foot just sank straight away.
0:15:48 > 0:15:51We thought the worst. We thought we'd have to phone the fire brigade.
0:15:51 > 0:15:55It's thought that Penny the horse wandered into the wood, and one
0:15:55 > 0:16:01can only guess that she went across the normally dry pond when she was sucked into the quicksand-like mud.
0:16:01 > 0:16:05So I rang 999 and they came within minutes.
0:16:05 > 0:16:09When they saw her, they couldn't believe what they were seeing either.
0:16:09 > 0:16:12They said they'd never seen anything so bad in their life.
0:16:13 > 0:16:17The British weather had shown what it's capable of once again.
0:16:17 > 0:16:22And with Penny in dire straits, the stables called out vet Maria McCormick.
0:16:23 > 0:16:27I arrived at the stables probably about half past nine or so.
0:16:27 > 0:16:32And I pulled up into the front and there were, I think, two fire trucks there.
0:16:35 > 0:16:38When I first saw her I was shocked, really.
0:16:38 > 0:16:41Even though they'd told me how deep she was in the mud,
0:16:41 > 0:16:44it was quite shocking actually to see her.
0:16:44 > 0:16:48All you could see was her head and the crest of her neck.
0:16:48 > 0:16:49She was really, really quiet.
0:16:49 > 0:16:52And that's what really worried me.
0:16:52 > 0:16:55She was shivering. My initial plan was to sedate her.
0:16:55 > 0:16:59But as soon as I saw the state of her, I thought, there's no way I'm going to sedate this horse.
0:16:59 > 0:17:02I thought I could probably do more damage than good actually.
0:17:02 > 0:17:11Trapped in the rain-sodden ground, and with such terrifying odds stacked against her, Penny needed help fast.
0:17:11 > 0:17:13So the fire brigade called in their search and rescue team,
0:17:13 > 0:17:18who have specialist equipment to deal with such emergencies.
0:17:18 > 0:17:25The local fire station had turned out to it, and we responded as part of the search and rescue team.
0:17:25 > 0:17:28Once on the site, the expert team quickly got to work.
0:17:28 > 0:17:32Vet Maria guessed Penny could have been trapped for up to four hours,
0:17:32 > 0:17:37with 90% of her body covered in cold, cloying mud.
0:17:37 > 0:17:41The fire-fighters risked being pulled into the mud themselves.
0:17:41 > 0:17:47So they started by laying down inflatable mats around the horse to give them a platform to work from.
0:17:47 > 0:17:51We then had to come up with a method of retrieving the horse from the mud.
0:17:51 > 0:17:54Now what we normally use is lengths of 70ml hose to spread the weight
0:17:54 > 0:17:56around a little bit more on the horse.
0:17:56 > 0:18:00So once we'd created a square around the horse of this working platform,
0:18:00 > 0:18:03we then started to work, digging in and around the horse, trying to feel underneath
0:18:03 > 0:18:07the horse's abdomen to pass lengths of hose from one side to the other.
0:18:07 > 0:18:15As the drama continued, the stables' office manager Jane Pickering arrived to find absolute pandemonium.
0:18:15 > 0:18:19When I initially got the first call, it was around 10 to nine,
0:18:19 > 0:18:21nine o'clock in the morning.
0:18:21 > 0:18:24One of the girls that worked here said that
0:18:24 > 0:18:26Penny had got stuck in a bog.
0:18:26 > 0:18:30And I was like, "Oh, my God."
0:18:30 > 0:18:33Walking down the field, I just started to cry.
0:18:33 > 0:18:35All kinds of emotions went through me.
0:18:35 > 0:18:39And when I got down there, I really didn't think they were going to get her out.
0:18:39 > 0:18:46I asked one of the firemen if I could just hold her head, just so someone was with her that she knew.
0:18:46 > 0:18:48And they said, "Oh yeah, come down, but obviously be careful."
0:18:48 > 0:18:54While Jane kept soothing Jenny, the specialist rescue team got on with their work.
0:18:54 > 0:19:01It had taken them an hour and a half to pass the four lengths of hose under the animal to create a harness.
0:19:01 > 0:19:07Once we had all four lengths of hose in place, we then needed to aerate the area around the horse.
0:19:07 > 0:19:11We carry sand lances on the vehicles, and we used them,
0:19:11 > 0:19:14pressed down into the mud with compressed air,
0:19:14 > 0:19:16which relieved the suction on the horse.
0:19:16 > 0:19:20Once we relieved the suction on the horse, you can then begin the lift.
0:19:20 > 0:19:26But with Penny weighing over half a tonne, they needed mechanical horsepower to free her.
0:19:26 > 0:19:32And the only way they were ever going to do that was by attaching the hose harness to a tractor to pull her out.
0:19:32 > 0:19:35This was a crucial part of the delicate operation.
0:19:35 > 0:19:40With the horse being a live animal, once out, she could panic and cause
0:19:40 > 0:19:46horrific injuries to herself, or even accidentally deliver a fatal kick to one of the fire-fighters.
0:19:46 > 0:19:51They managed to get the hoses onto the tractor and the bucket lifted her.
0:19:51 > 0:19:55And as she came out, she then struggled.
0:19:55 > 0:19:57She was slipping on the mats with the mud.
0:19:57 > 0:20:02And she actually went back in with her front legs again.
0:20:02 > 0:20:06And the vet had further bad news for both Rachel and Jane.
0:20:06 > 0:20:09An hour and a half into the rescue the vet took her to one side, because the horse was starting
0:20:09 > 0:20:14to deteriorate, and said, "If we don't get the horse out soon, she could die."
0:20:15 > 0:20:17Jane was nearly crying.
0:20:17 > 0:20:22I couldn't look at Jane because she was in tears. But I had to
0:20:22 > 0:20:26just try and keep calm and think, it's not a time to cry, we just need to get this horse out.
0:20:26 > 0:20:32One time her head did go very heavy in my hands and I thought she'd actually given up.
0:20:35 > 0:20:38Her eyes closed and her head was
0:20:38 > 0:20:41just really heavy.
0:20:43 > 0:20:45Coming up later on Living Dangerously -
0:20:45 > 0:20:50Will Penny ever get to run freely in the fields again?
0:20:50 > 0:20:53If you don't get the horse out as quickly as you can, it may die.
0:20:53 > 0:20:57But if you try and do something like yank the horse out, it may die anyway.
0:21:06 > 0:21:09Back to the Lake District in October 2008.
0:21:09 > 0:21:152,500 fell runners taking part in the gruelling Original Mountain Marathon
0:21:15 > 0:21:19were caught out by heavy rain and gale-force winds.
0:21:21 > 0:21:25HOME VIDEO SOUNDTRACK:
0:21:26 > 0:21:30Three hours into the competition, rivers and streams had turned into
0:21:30 > 0:21:35raging torrents, and floodwaters reached biblical proportions.
0:21:35 > 0:21:38Competitors stranded by the appalling conditions
0:21:38 > 0:21:44were abandoning the race and seeking shelter where they could.
0:21:44 > 0:21:50Meanwhile, Liz Britton and her best friend Rachel vowed to carry on.
0:21:50 > 0:21:54They had attempted to cross a swollen stream when disaster struck.
0:21:54 > 0:22:00The gravel below my foot just went away and I knew that I was going to be swept down.
0:22:00 > 0:22:02I didn't want to pull her in with me.
0:22:02 > 0:22:08I knew that it was a strong enough current that we'd both go under if I kept on, so I let go.
0:22:11 > 0:22:18You're under for... it feels like a lifetime but you know it's really not.
0:22:18 > 0:22:24You get a second where you can just stick your head up and get some air.
0:22:24 > 0:22:28Obviously my main concern at this point was whether or not Liz was actually alive.
0:22:28 > 0:22:33Because I didn't know... She'd gone down the river.
0:22:33 > 0:22:35I couldn't see her and the water was so strong.
0:22:35 > 0:22:39If Liz couldn't get out of it, what was going to happen to her really?
0:22:42 > 0:22:48As I went down, I was aware that I was hitting my head and my back.
0:22:51 > 0:22:53It was mostly just...
0:22:53 > 0:22:55I didn't lose consciousness.
0:22:55 > 0:23:00So I did feel every single bash.
0:23:00 > 0:23:01It hurt a lot.
0:23:01 > 0:23:05Torrential rain was still pounding the Lake District.
0:23:05 > 0:23:10By now, the howling gales had escalated to 90mph.
0:23:10 > 0:23:14Combined with the wind chill factor, this meant temperatures plummeted.
0:23:14 > 0:23:19Liz's father John and sister Emily were heading uphill out of the valley
0:23:19 > 0:23:25to find a safer place to cross the raging stream, when they realised something was very wrong.
0:23:25 > 0:23:29I just looked down and I saw Rachel going berserk.
0:23:32 > 0:23:34So, kind of...
0:23:34 > 0:23:37I knew instantly what had gone on.
0:23:40 > 0:23:43Father and daughter raced down the hill as fast as they could.
0:23:43 > 0:23:48As soon as we got there, Rachel was quite...
0:23:48 > 0:23:51almost hysterical and distraught.
0:23:51 > 0:23:53She said Liz had been washed away.
0:23:53 > 0:23:56There was this awful sinking feeling.
0:23:56 > 0:23:58I just remember very clearly
0:23:58 > 0:24:03the colour draining out of Dad's face in quite a visible way.
0:24:03 > 0:24:06Rachel said she would go for help.
0:24:06 > 0:24:09Emily and I went to look for Liz.
0:24:09 > 0:24:14I thought the most likely thing would be the stream would deposit her somewhere.
0:24:14 > 0:24:16The question was, how hurt would she be?
0:24:18 > 0:24:22It's pretty scary to be running down to find somebody and to be
0:24:22 > 0:24:25thinking, if I find them they might not be alive.
0:24:25 > 0:24:28That's... That was a pretty distressing moment.
0:24:33 > 0:24:37The battering rain and storm-force winds continued unabated.
0:24:37 > 0:24:43And with Liz plunged into freezing waters, she was in serious trouble.
0:24:43 > 0:24:48As she struggled in the water, Liz was thrown onto a small island in the middle of the gushing flood,
0:24:48 > 0:24:51and knew instantly she was injured.
0:24:51 > 0:24:56It was the fear of what I'd done to my legs, because I could not move them under my own power.
0:24:56 > 0:24:59I didn't know whether I'd maybe like shattered my hip.
0:25:02 > 0:25:06John and Emily were frantic with worry as they desperately searched
0:25:06 > 0:25:10for Liz, when they came across fellow runners Phil England and Tim Sparrow.
0:25:10 > 0:25:13We were coming down the bank
0:25:13 > 0:25:19and there were now four of us, because there was Tim and Phil and me and Emily.
0:25:19 > 0:25:21And you could see
0:25:21 > 0:25:27this sort of crumpled person lying down on the rocks,
0:25:27 > 0:25:28just out of the water.
0:25:31 > 0:25:34I established that she was conscious.
0:25:34 > 0:25:38Didn't know what was damaged, but...
0:25:38 > 0:25:42she wasn't for moving or being touched.
0:25:44 > 0:25:47But at least she was actually conscious.
0:25:50 > 0:25:56The driving rain and storm-force winds continued unrelentingly across the Lake District.
0:25:56 > 0:26:02More and more competitors were giving up on the race and coming in to seek shelter.
0:26:02 > 0:26:06So marathon organisers had no option but to call off the run.
0:26:06 > 0:26:10Their only priority now was to get all fell runners to safety.
0:26:10 > 0:26:13The local mountain rescues are overwhelmed.
0:26:13 > 0:26:18And Jim Longbottom has decided it's wise to cancel the event.
0:26:18 > 0:26:23At the same time, a distraught Rachel, who had gone for help, had a stroke of luck.
0:26:23 > 0:26:26I could see some people further up the hill,
0:26:26 > 0:26:30a group of walkers who weren't related to the event, but one of them had a mobile phone.
0:26:30 > 0:26:36Somehow it had a signal, so he was able to call mountain rescue right then.
0:26:36 > 0:26:39And get the mountain rescue out earlier than it would have been
0:26:39 > 0:26:41if I'd had to go all the way up to the radio point.
0:26:43 > 0:26:48But Rachel had no idea where Liz ended up, so with scant information
0:26:48 > 0:26:53to go on, mountain rescue ordered 20 volunteers to try and locate her.
0:26:55 > 0:27:00Mike Gullen was one of the mountain rescue volunteers who took the emergency call.
0:27:00 > 0:27:06And, with such a rough and wild terrain to negotiate, it was going to be a struggle to find Liz.
0:27:08 > 0:27:13Time was of the essence if they were to find her alive.
0:27:13 > 0:27:17Me and my colleague got kitted up pretty quickly.
0:27:17 > 0:27:22We started running up the river doing a very quick search,
0:27:22 > 0:27:27looking at places where we think she could have been swept to.
0:27:29 > 0:27:33There was no let-up in the 90mph winds and pounding rain.
0:27:33 > 0:27:38Liz was still stranded on the island, and not only were the water levels rising,
0:27:38 > 0:27:43but she was soaked to the skin and in danger of suffering from hypothermia,
0:27:43 > 0:27:48when your body becomes so cold, it shuts down and can kill in minutes.
0:27:48 > 0:27:53Dad John was desperate to keep his youngest daughter from death's door.
0:27:53 > 0:27:58We got a sleeping bag out and managed to manhandle her into that.
0:27:58 > 0:28:03And then we got this tent out, so she was
0:28:03 > 0:28:07up to her head in sleeping bag and tent...
0:28:07 > 0:28:10and space blanket. And we got...
0:28:10 > 0:28:13Emily to lie down next to her.
0:28:13 > 0:28:17And I think one of Tim and Phil lay down the other side as well
0:28:17 > 0:28:20to get some warmth next to her.
0:28:22 > 0:28:24We found a tent on the island.
0:28:24 > 0:28:28We didn't know if there was anybody in it first. It was a very small island.
0:28:28 > 0:28:31It must have been the size of the Land Rover, something like that.
0:28:31 > 0:28:38The water on both sides was raging, and if you look at it now, it's only a couple of foot wide. It's nothing.
0:28:38 > 0:28:43It was very apparent as well that the island was getting smaller by the minute.
0:28:43 > 0:28:45The water was coming over the island.
0:28:50 > 0:28:54There was just this moment where the first rescue guy stuck his head
0:28:54 > 0:28:57into the tent, and I think Lizzie just burst into tears,
0:28:57 > 0:28:59and I was quick to follow. Just the immense relief
0:28:59 > 0:29:05of them being there and it all being over, or about to be over.
0:29:08 > 0:29:12They clearly knew what they were doing and how to do it, and just got on with doing it.
0:29:12 > 0:29:14So there was a...
0:29:14 > 0:29:19As soon as you saw them, you had that sense of security.
0:29:20 > 0:29:24The main concern for the day was the hypothermia.
0:29:24 > 0:29:28It was very, very cold, very windy, very wet.
0:29:28 > 0:29:32She had been in the water for some time, so all her clothes were drenched.
0:29:32 > 0:29:36Our main priority was to change her into some clothing we keep
0:29:36 > 0:29:41in the vehicles, to try and warm her up until we got her evacuated.
0:29:41 > 0:29:47RAF search and rescue helicopters are used in combat to rescue military personnel.
0:29:47 > 0:29:50But they're also on 24-hour standby to help civilians.
0:29:50 > 0:29:53With the small island shrinking rapidly under rising floodwaters,
0:29:53 > 0:30:00a Sea King helicopter was scrambled from RAF Valley in Anglesey to rescue Liz.
0:30:00 > 0:30:02The helicopter was already in the area
0:30:02 > 0:30:07so as it was there, it was best to use it because we needed a rapid evacuation.
0:30:07 > 0:30:09She was very cold, she needed to get to hospital quick.
0:30:09 > 0:30:14It was probably the safest method to get her off the island at that point.
0:30:14 > 0:30:17Coming up later on Living Dangerously -
0:30:17 > 0:30:21when the RAF helicopter comes to the rescue, Liz's ordeal is far from over.
0:30:21 > 0:30:24Being winched up is possibly the scariest thing I've ever done.
0:30:24 > 0:30:30I was just spinning around and like I was completely mummified, really.
0:30:30 > 0:30:31Couldn't move at all.
0:30:31 > 0:30:35But will Liz escape the clutch of the weather?
0:30:42 > 0:30:48Earlier this year in the Wirral, after an exceptionally dry spate of spring weather, heavy rain caused
0:30:48 > 0:30:55the ground around a horse's grazing field to turn into a boggy mess, with potentially fatal consequences.
0:30:55 > 0:30:59Penny, a seven-year-old cob at the Barnston riding centre,
0:30:59 > 0:31:03had been trapped, virtually submerged in a muddy pond.
0:31:03 > 0:31:05I couldn't believe what I was seeing.
0:31:05 > 0:31:12She was stuck up to her neck, she was just so still and lifeless and couldn't move or anything.
0:31:12 > 0:31:19This was traumatic for everyone, and Rachel's showing me just where Penny got trapped.
0:31:20 > 0:31:23So this is the scene where it all happened?
0:31:23 > 0:31:27Yeah, we had to take this gate off and take all the posts out and the
0:31:27 > 0:31:30barbed wire, and there was a big archway of trees here
0:31:30 > 0:31:32and we had to chop all them down to get the tractor through.
0:31:32 > 0:31:36- You can see the branches have been pulled down. - And where was Penny?
0:31:36 > 0:31:38Penny was over here.
0:31:38 > 0:31:42Oh, OK. And now you've put all the...
0:31:42 > 0:31:46We've put a load of fencing up, but this is how we got in like, this is,
0:31:46 > 0:31:51I found her stood here and I could, you could see her from here, and we made a little path up there
0:31:51 > 0:31:57for the firemen to get through and they were going up and down here through this field,
0:31:57 > 0:32:01chopping the trees down and trying to do the best they can to get her out.
0:32:01 > 0:32:05Did you have a lot of admiration for the services at that point?
0:32:05 > 0:32:08You left them to it and they knew exactly what they were doing.
0:32:08 > 0:32:10You just had so much faith in them to get her out
0:32:10 > 0:32:13They wouldn't just leave her in there, like, "There's nothing we can do,"
0:32:13 > 0:32:15would they? They did all they could.
0:32:19 > 0:32:23The fire brigade's search and rescue team, who deal with such animal emergencies,
0:32:23 > 0:32:31were desperately trying to free Penny from the wet, cloying mud, but all was not going to plan.
0:32:31 > 0:32:33It's heartfelt. You really want to do something
0:32:33 > 0:32:36for the horse and everyone is working as quickly
0:32:36 > 0:32:38and as safely as they can to help the horse,
0:32:38 > 0:32:40so it's a very strange situation,
0:32:40 > 0:32:45knowing you don't get the horse out as quickly as you can, it may die.
0:32:45 > 0:32:49But if you try and do something like yank the horse out, it may die anyway.
0:32:49 > 0:32:52With all this added pressure, the specialist fire-fighters
0:32:52 > 0:32:58worked methodically to try and gently winch Penny out of the bog.
0:32:58 > 0:33:03They'd been working for two hours to release the popular pony from the mud.
0:33:03 > 0:33:08They'd freed her once, only for her to fall back in again.
0:33:08 > 0:33:11With the first attempt to actually lift her out,
0:33:11 > 0:33:14she started thrashing about a bit, which was a bit of a concern
0:33:14 > 0:33:16because we didn't want her to hurt herself
0:33:16 > 0:33:19or anybody else, but I was quite relieved to see her
0:33:19 > 0:33:26doing that because it meant that she was aware of what was going on and she had a bit of fight left in her.
0:33:26 > 0:33:30But with Penny getting increasingly distraught, the fire-fighters knew
0:33:30 > 0:33:34that if they didn't get her out soon, time could run out for the horse.
0:33:37 > 0:33:41That's when I sort of shook her and said, "Come on, Penny, they are trying to help you.
0:33:41 > 0:33:46- "They're trying to get you out." - And then, two and a half hours after the rescue began,
0:33:46 > 0:33:52with a bit of careful manoeuvring and one final pull, success.
0:33:52 > 0:33:55The seven-year-old cob was set free.
0:33:55 > 0:33:59I was so relieved, you know, I was speechless, I just couldn't even
0:33:59 > 0:34:02think like she'd be OK or anything.
0:34:02 > 0:34:04And what about everybody else?
0:34:04 > 0:34:09Even for the emergency services, it's not the sort of thing that they see every day.
0:34:09 > 0:34:14And I'm sure that everybody at points thought that they wouldn't be able to get Penny out.
0:34:14 > 0:34:19Everyone was like really happy that they'd managed to save her
0:34:19 > 0:34:21and it was just so overwhelming that she was all right.
0:34:24 > 0:34:27It was nice to see that the horse was galloping around the field
0:34:27 > 0:34:32virtually straight away, which amazed the vet and everybody there.
0:34:32 > 0:34:38We gave her some antibiotics as well and some tetanus, just in case she had any cuts.
0:34:38 > 0:34:41Fortunately the firemen had their hoses so they could hose her off,
0:34:41 > 0:34:46and surprisingly, she didn't have any cuts or wounds or injuries.
0:34:48 > 0:34:51I think we were all crying with happiness at the end of it.
0:34:51 > 0:34:57She was very wobbly but we got her up the field and just let her stand, find her feet
0:34:57 > 0:35:06and I'd say within 15 minutes, she was munching the grass, she was more than happy, she was fine.
0:35:06 > 0:35:08- And how is she now?- She's fine.
0:35:08 > 0:35:10Everyone loves her so much. She's so popular.
0:35:10 > 0:35:13Even more so.
0:35:16 > 0:35:19It's been a few months since Penny's nightmare,
0:35:19 > 0:35:22but looking at her now, you'd never guess the trauma she'd been through.
0:35:22 > 0:35:26Oh, and this is her! Hello!
0:35:26 > 0:35:28I've been hearing all about you.
0:35:28 > 0:35:31- You can see she's dead kind, can't you?- You can.
0:35:31 > 0:35:34I can tell straight away you're kind.
0:35:34 > 0:35:36And no marks on her whatsoever.
0:35:36 > 0:35:40Just got a really nice, shiny coat, she has.
0:35:40 > 0:35:43Has her personality changed at all? Has she been affected in any way?
0:35:43 > 0:35:46No, nothing. She's fine, as if nothing has happened.
0:35:49 > 0:35:51You are lovely.
0:35:51 > 0:35:53You are lovely.
0:35:53 > 0:35:57And with the woods now fenced off from the horses' grazing field,
0:35:57 > 0:36:01it means that even if the British weather gets up to its old tricks,
0:36:01 > 0:36:05Penny won't be at risk of getting trapped in a muddy bog again,
0:36:06 > 0:36:10which will mean the world to a lot of people.
0:36:10 > 0:36:14Everyone is always asking how she is, is she OK,
0:36:14 > 0:36:17and people who don't ride here are always asking like, "How is Penny?"
0:36:17 > 0:36:20And everyone is always coming down to see her and giving her carrots
0:36:20 > 0:36:23and apples, and she loves it, she loves the attention.
0:36:25 > 0:36:31It also means that Rachel can now spend all the time she wants with her favourite horse.
0:36:41 > 0:36:47Back in the Lake District in October 2008, driving rain and 90 mph winds
0:36:47 > 0:36:53were threatening the lives of some 2,500 fell runners competing in the Original Mountain Marathon.
0:36:53 > 0:37:00Casualties included Liz Britton, who was stranded on an island after being swept away by a surging stream,
0:37:00 > 0:37:03but was now being tended to by mountain rescue.
0:37:03 > 0:37:08Unable to move her legs, it was thought she was badly injured, plus she was in real danger
0:37:08 > 0:37:13of succumbing to hypothermia that can kill in minutes.
0:37:13 > 0:37:17You still felt cold and you knew you were wet,
0:37:17 > 0:37:25but it was, it was the wind, because the wind chill factor, it must have been into the minus numbers.
0:37:25 > 0:37:28But an RAF search and rescue helicopter was on the way.
0:37:32 > 0:37:39The Sea King helicopter is fitted with infra-red detection devices to search for missing casualties.
0:37:41 > 0:37:46It scoured the mountainous terrain of the Lake District for Liz and her stranded party.
0:37:46 > 0:37:50It felt like a very long time but it obviously wasn't.
0:37:50 > 0:37:53We then heard the noise of the helicopter
0:37:53 > 0:37:57and sort of realised what was going to happen.
0:38:02 > 0:38:06The air force personnel located Liz, who then had to be winched on board.
0:38:06 > 0:38:10But with driving rain and gale-force winds, this wasn't going to be easy.
0:38:10 > 0:38:15The RAF Sea King came in and it hovered above us, dropped a winchman.
0:38:15 > 0:38:19He then came down and talked to me and my colleague on the island.
0:38:19 > 0:38:24We then packaged Liz into a stretcher, which the Sea King dropped,
0:38:24 > 0:38:27and then Liz was winched off.
0:38:27 > 0:38:33Being winched up is possibly the scariest thing I've ever done, because I was just spinning around
0:38:33 > 0:38:37and I was completely mummified, really, couldn't move at all.
0:38:37 > 0:38:43My head was sticking out and I could just see all the way down the valley, and everything was grey.
0:38:43 > 0:38:50With Liz and the other four marooned runners on board and safe for the first time in three hours,
0:38:50 > 0:38:53the RAF helicopter headed for the nearest hospital.
0:38:53 > 0:38:56But her running partner Rachel, who had gone for help
0:38:56 > 0:38:59before taking refuge in a nearby pub,
0:38:59 > 0:39:04was still unaware that her best friend had been rescued, and feared the worst.
0:39:04 > 0:39:07I didn't have any information about her until
0:39:07 > 0:39:11the police told me a few hours later that they'd taken her to hospital.
0:39:11 > 0:39:15For those few hours, it was like the worst feeling ever, then when I saw
0:39:15 > 0:39:18her again in the hospital... you can't really describe it.
0:39:18 > 0:39:21It was such a good feeling.
0:39:22 > 0:39:29Liz had an extremely lucky escape, and surprisingly, her terrifying ordeal left her with just
0:39:29 > 0:39:31a fractured wrist and severe bruising,
0:39:31 > 0:39:35although it did take her six weeks to walk normally again.
0:39:35 > 0:39:40Back in the Lake District, the emergency services worked through the night
0:39:40 > 0:39:44to rescue a total of eight competitors stranded in the vicious storm.
0:39:44 > 0:39:49Having survived the wrath of Britain's weather and with the storm abated,
0:39:49 > 0:39:52hundreds of weary eventers made their way down
0:39:52 > 0:39:56the hills of the Lake District after sheltering overnight.
0:39:56 > 0:40:01While the runners made it down to safety, for Liz, it had been a close call.
0:40:03 > 0:40:08I do think that I have been extremely lucky. I know that...
0:40:08 > 0:40:11you know, in those circumstances,
0:40:13 > 0:40:17I'd have thought that 90 per cent of the time you'd be a body being
0:40:17 > 0:40:21picked off the bank, and everyone I've spoken to who has some knowledge of the hills
0:40:21 > 0:40:27has been kind of horrified that I'm still here, in a good way!
0:40:27 > 0:40:33I think the chances of anybody surviving in that beck that day
0:40:33 > 0:40:39were very slim, and I didn't expect to find anybody that day.
0:40:39 > 0:40:42I think a few of my colleagues thought that as well.
0:40:44 > 0:40:50While Liz's experience is extreme, if you're heading out for a trek in isolated hills, even if the sun
0:40:50 > 0:40:56is shining, you must always be prepared in case the weather turns against you.
0:40:56 > 0:41:02My advice for any swollen river is not to cross it.
0:41:02 > 0:41:08Just avoid it if you can, go upstream or just don't cross it at all, change your route.
0:41:08 > 0:41:11The river is a lot stronger than you are.
0:41:11 > 0:41:14Just to have plenty of clothes with you
0:41:14 > 0:41:16and have a good head for where you're going,
0:41:16 > 0:41:19make sure somebody knows where you're going,
0:41:19 > 0:41:25make sure you've got all the right kit, map, torch, whistle, compass, spare batteries.
0:41:25 > 0:41:28That's another one. Just go out and enjoy it.
0:41:28 > 0:41:33That's what the hills are there for, for everybody to enjoy.
0:41:38 > 0:41:44Eight months later and there's no doubt that Liz should be thanking her lucky stars.
0:41:44 > 0:41:49While their experience in the Lake District was traumatic, Liz and Rachel survived the ordeal.
0:41:49 > 0:41:52But would they take on the elements again?
0:41:56 > 0:42:00I don't think it's ever going to put me off enough
0:42:00 > 0:42:02to never go out again because
0:42:02 > 0:42:08the scenery is just too nice to not want to go out.
0:42:08 > 0:42:12At the end of the day, the great outdoors is great for a reason, isn't it?
0:42:12 > 0:42:17Yeah, definitely still happy to take it on.
0:42:17 > 0:42:22You can't really challenge yourself without putting yourself out there against the toughest stuff.
0:42:25 > 0:42:29And on that weekend, you couldn't get any tougher.
0:42:29 > 0:42:34One of the worst storms in living memory hit the Lake District.
0:42:34 > 0:42:37But while thankfully there were no fatalities,
0:42:37 > 0:42:43it just goes to show how vulnerable we are to the power of the elements.
0:42:45 > 0:42:50Join us next time for more amazing stories on Living Dangerously.
0:42:56 > 0:42:58Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd
0:42:58 > 0:43:01E-mail subtitling@bbc.co.uk