A joint safety campaign to help walkers stay safe on England's highest mountain is set to be launched.

Paths and signs are to due to be improved on Scafell Pike and an awareness campaign will also be launched for walkers preparing to tackle the 978 metre-high mountain.

Wasdale Mountain Rescue Team, which covers Scafell Pike, is working with a host of agencies to help prevent walkers from getting into difficulty.

This year the rescue team has already responded to 137 incidents- a steep rise compared to 112 last year.

Last month, Dawid Kancyr, a 28-year-old Polish national, died at Piers Ghyll which is known a steep routes onto and off Scafell Pike from Wasdale.

Following the tragic death, Richard Warren, chairman of The Lake District Search and Mountain Rescue Association and a member of Wasdale MRT, met with Cumbria Police, the National Trust and the Lake District National Park Authority to discuss concerns.

He said: "We went up Scafell Pike and showed them the area where incidents happen."

He said the National Trust has agreed to improve the paths and signs. The Lake District National Park Authority will work in collaboration with the rescue team and National Trust to raise awareness to try to reduce the number of call outs.

Mr Warren said: "It will help us in a numerous of ways. It will help to remind people that it's not a walk in the park to go up Scafell Pike. They need to look at the weather before they go, take the right equipment, and a torch, and not just take a bit of paper with a Google map on."

He said the campaign will also raise awareness about the mountain rescue team, and the stresses that avoidable rescues put on the team of volunteers.

"We are not paid, we all have jobs, families and work commitments and we can't continue to see this rise in the number of avoidable rescues. Our members will become exhausted and equipment will be damaged.

"It's unsustainable."

Marian Silvester, general manager for the National Trust in Wasdale said: "Hundreds of thousands of people enjoy Scafell Pike each year and we want this to continue.

"We look forward to working with partners to provide information to help visitors plan and prepare for their trip – so they are equipped for the mountain environment, and have the best possible experience when they’re here."

She added that Scafell Pike was given to the National Trust in memory of those who died in WWI so that people would have the freedom to enjoy the mountains.

Richard Leafe, chief executive for the Lake District National Park, attended the meeting.

He said: "Mountain Rescue offers a vital service in the Lake District, though many people enjoy the fells every day without needing to call out the emergency services.

"This meeting was a great opportunity to explore how we can work together to help educate and inform people to take better responsibility for their own personal safety before heading out.

"We’re now planning to work on a joint safety campaign with Mountain Rescue and the National Trust in advance of next year's summer season."

There are about 450 mountain rescue volunteers in 12 teams across Cumbria. They are all unpaid and respond to call-outs 24/7 all year round.