Volunteer rescuers came to the aid of a man who was injured in a cave in Nidderdale yesterday.

The man, believed to be in his late teens, was part of a group of cavers at Goyden Pot, north of Lofthouse.

Goyden Pot, with its extensive network of caves close to ground, is a popular location for the activity, particularly among beginners.

But things went wrong yesterday when a man injured his knee and, despite the efforts of the leaders of the group, was unable to get out.

Upper Wharfedale Fell Rescue Association was alerted at 2.16pm and a team of about 16 volunteer rescuers attended the scene.

Rescuers needed ropes to get to the man. Pic: Upper Wharfedale Fell Rescue Association

They managed to locate the unnamed man and help him out of the caves. He was then taken by ambulance to hospital.

The operation took about four hours, most of which was spent manoeuvring with ropes to get to the right place.

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The association said in a report on the incident:

“Cave rescue requires considerable man-power and we all work against the clock: speed makes hypothermia less likely.

“We often alert our neighbouring teams to live cave incidents in case extra man-power is needed.

“The Cave Rescue Organisation and Swaledale Mountain Rescue Team were advised but later stood down as our own team was sufficient to provide swift medical attention to the injured caver as well as technical rope experts to facilitate the extraction.

“We’d like to thank local cave leaders and teachers who also helped considerably, as well as the casualty who was a true stoic. We wish him a very speedy recovery.”

Treating the casualty. Pic: Upper Wharfedale Fell Rescue Association