TWO men were rescued after falling down a 40ft gully.

Bolton Mountain Rescue Team was called to assist emergency services on the scene in the village of Tockholes near Darwen on Saturday.

The men had fallen down a steep-sided gully while on a camping trip at about 10pm.

Three Land Rover ambulances from the mountain rescue were on the scene alongside police, ambulance fire and a police helicopter. The teams were on the scene until 1am.

Chris Greenhalgh, of the Bolton Mountain Rescue, said: “It became a very big incident because it was pitch black and we had problems finding the casualties, because they didn’t know exactly where they were in the

forest.

“The fire service arrived before we did and then we set up a rope system in which we could send down more men and equipment so the casualties could be treated.

“The first man to have fallen had badly broken his leg, while his friend, who fell while trying to help him, had injured his wrist.

“We could walk the man with the injured wrist up the bank with ropes but had to get a stretcher down to the other man, which was an uphill struggle.”

Mr Greenhalgh added: “It was a multi-agency rescue and everyone worked very well together.”