FUN-seekers taking to the snowy slopes in Bolton have been warned about the hazards of sledging.

Garry Rhodes, team leader of Bolton Mountain Rescue, said: “People tend to injure themselves more when sledging on shallow snow rather than deep.

“It’s probably because there is less snow to soften any falls. Our advice would be to check what you’re sledging into before you set off.

“As long as people are aware that the weather can change rapidly, there’s no reason to stop them going out there and have a great time.”

The warning comes after two people were injured in sledging incidents last Saturday.

An 18-year-old was treated for suspected spinal injuries and a man in his 20s broke his leg in two separate sledging incidents on Saturday.

An ambulance, an air ambulance and Bolton Mountain Rescue scrambled to playing fields at Eagley Brook where an 18-year-old man had fallen off a sledge.

He was treated for possible spinal injuries and taken to the Royal Bolton Hospital.

The mountain rescue team also helped a man in his mid-20s who had suffered a broken leg on the banks of Yarrow reservoir at Anglezarke.