Mountain rescue team members have been left furious after equipment was vandalised with anti-vaccine messages.

Keswick Mountain Rescue Team has criticised the culprit who stuck stickers with anti-vax rhetoric on its new stretcher box at Sty Head Pass.

Volunteer for the Rescue Team Chris Higgins said: "I was appalled to think anyone thinks it is appropriate to stick political messages on to a box that is maintained by volunteers who are doing their utmost to look after people in difficult times.

Key memberd of all mountain rescue teams are working extremely hard given the the higher numbers of visitors to the lake district and to think that anybody out in the mountains has a mis-adventure and gets lost or an injury is going to rely on our services to help them get down and get to hospital or to where they need to be. for those people to think that is a good way to use mountain rescue volunteers time to clean the stretcher box I just find it incredulous the people would think about doing that.

"I'm angry about it, I'm absolutely furious to think that other people think they can treat volunteers who are offering this service like this.

"It could be one those people who put the stickers on the box who ends up injured and has to rely on us.

"I would like them to aske themselves in what way they think that was appropriate?"

"We are really grateful to everyone who expressed wishes to help, and to the person who clean it off, that meant we could concentrate on rescuing people who are injured rather than going up to clean up the box.

The woman behind the clean up was Sarah Wild who recently moved to the county before joining Cumberland Fell runners who have helped her settle in.

Sarah is a big fan of mountain rescue team and hopes herself to become a volunteer.

She said: "I'm obsessed with the mountains, I couldn't stand the thought of them having to clean it up, It was a pleasure to help them.

"I'm lucky I have never needed them but I know they would be there in a heart beat to help me."