Published at 09:43, Friday, 15 January 2010

FUN in the snow turned nasty for two women out sledging in Tynedale’s harshest winter in a generation.

For both suffered potentially serious back injuries when they were involved in collisions.

The Great North Air Ambulance was scrambled to airlift them to hospital after the accidents on Sunday, January 3.

A 44-year-old woman from Haydon Bridge cut her back and head, and suffered suspected spinal injuries, when her sledge went off line and slammed into a fence post near the village.

She was airlifted to Newcastle General Hospital.

The same afternoon a 19-year-old girl from Prudhoe cannoned into another sledger while having fun in Blaydon.

Head of public relations at the air ambulance, Sarah Booth, said: “The good news is that both of these patients have made good recoveries.”

While hundreds have been out across the district en-joying themselves on every available slope, those who did not have sledges before the snow fell were often out of luck.

It was virtually impossible to buy a sledge anywhere in Tynedale, or even as far away as Newcastle, so ingenuity has been called for.

People have been spotted whizzing down the snowy slopes on everything from fertiliser and dog food bags to tea trays!

Temperatures as low as -18C have resulted in many of the district’s reservoirs, lakes and rivers freezing over, but so far, few have been tempted to take their lives in their hands by walking out on to the frozen surfaces.

The gentle thaw has meant there was no repeat of the problems of the last prolonged freeze, when monster ice floes came down the Tyne to threaten the stability of bridges.

Meanwhile frontline ambulance crews have been supported by local search and rescue teams to ensure all calls in Tynedale can be responded to despite the severe weather.

From January 6 until last weekend the Northumberland National Park mountain rescue team and the North of Tyne Search and Rescue Team, were assisting the North East Ambulance Service with their vehicles and staff.

Two Land Rover Defender 4x4 ambulances, equipped with a team of medical staff, were dispatched by the national park team to respond to emergencies, transfer patients, and help recover stranded ambulances.

Volunteer Richard Holmes said: “Our volunteer crews have been working up to 14- hour days and have remained on stand-by throughout the night.

“The team has been asked to assist crews with calls in areas including Hexham, Berwick, Alnwick, North Shields, Dudley, Bedlington, Ashington and Morpeth.

“We would like to extend its thanks to the frontline ambulance crews and the North East Ambulance Service control room staff for their help and hospitality and for providing warm stations for our crews to refuel and rest.”

Published by http://www.hexhamcourant.co.uk