Mountain rescuers have been on a mission to reach remote parts of north Cumbria cut off by several feet of snow.

The experienced and trained volunteers who are members of the Penrith Mountain Rescue Team were among those to head out to Alston and Garrigill.

They were helping in the emergency service efforts to deliver vital supplies and to reach residents cut off in some of the most rural areas of the county.

Penrith Mountain Rescue Team has confirmed it responded to 11 incidents on Thursday as the Beast from the East gripped the north of England.

The incidents included patient transfers, road traffic collisions and stranded motorists.

The team posted an array of images on its Facebook page to show the extreme conditions and how members struggled to help dig round snow ploughs trapped by several feet of snow. Cars parked in Alston town centre are seen caked in snow.

Mountain rescuers from Cumbria's Cockermouth and Patterdale teams were also part of the efforts as were Mountain Rescue England and Wales and Lake District Search and Mountain Rescue Association.