A BORDERS-BASED mountain rescue team has experienced its busiest start to a year on record.

Members of the Tweed Valley Mountain Rescue Team were called out to two separate incidents on Wednesday (July 3).

The first, shortly after 1pm, was to help an injured walker on the hill above Ettrick Kirk.

Twelve members of the team, joined by paramedics, helped evacuate the walker using a stretcher.

At around 7pm nineteen members of the group were involved in a callout to help a cyclist lost in the hills between Eddleston and Romanno Bridge. 

A spokesperson for the team said: “Fortunately, the cyclist had a mobile phone and found shelter in a hut. Using our PhoneFind tool, we confirmed the cyclist’s location and communicated with them to assess their situation. 

“As team members headed to the cyclist’s location, officers from Police Scotland, assisted by a local farmer, reached the cyclist. The cyclist was then safely evacuated.”

With 38 callouts so far this year, this has been the busiest first half of the year in the team’s history.