A climber has died after falling 150m off a mountain.

A group of eight friends had been spending Saturday night in the Priest's Hole, a shallow overhang high on Dove Crag, when one of them fell.

Patterdale Mountain Rescue Team was called to assist at about 10pm, and called for help from the Coastguard rescue helicopter from Prestwick, in Scotland.

It used its infra red camera to direct the rescuers to the casualty's location but the 50-year-old man had suffered fatal injuries.

Other mountain rescue volunteers came to assist in the difficult task of recovering the man.

Mike Blakey, Patterdale team leader, said: "The helicopter was unable to get close the scene but provided lighting from a hover position a few hundred metres away from the crag.

"Rescue 999 then returned to the valley bottom to uplift equipment and members of Penrith MRT who had been called to support us.

"The team evacuated the man over a large boulder field and then down the valley on a stretcher to a Landrover ambulance.

"This kind of evacuation is always complex as it involves belaying the stretcher down the mountainside and team members literally man-handling the stretcher over each boulder, through dense bracken and over streams."

Four MRT members helped the other seven climbers back to the base.

"The rescue lasted lasted for seven hours in total," continued Mr Blakey, "and involved more than 25 members of Patterdale, Penrith and Kirkby Stephen Mountain Rescue Teams.

"The team were assisted by seven mountain rescue search dog handlers who were en route to assist at the time the man was located."

The group was well-equipped and prepared for their adventure, but Mr Blakey warned people to avoid the area following an increase in visitor numbers and subsequent call-outs to Priest's Hole.