Mystery trolley sparks Northumberland mountain rescue search

A call to police about an abandoned wheeled-trolley bag sparked a multi-team mountain rescue search.

The bag, filled with outdoor walking equipment, was discovered by a walker on the Pennine Way near the Cheviot Hills on Friday, Northumberland National Park Mountain Rescue Team (NNPMRT) said.

Soaring temperatures in the days prior sparked concerns it could have belonged to a walker in distress, perhaps dehydrated and in search of water.

Teams from England and Scotland were deployed but then a social media search led to information that the walker, who was safe and well, had abandoned the trolley because it was broken.

Emergency crews were alerted just after 09:00 BST and, as writing on the bag initially seemed to provide a name and address, this was passed to Police Scotland.

NNPMRT said no relevant missing person reports were found and a “limited response” was initiated involving volunteers from the Border Search and Rescue Unit, North of Tyne Mountain Rescue Team and NNPMRT.

“Then, the power of social media kicked in and within a few hours, the leads started to roll in,” NNPMRT said.

A number of sightings of a man earlier in the week pulling and carrying a trolley were confirmed in Wooler, Hethpool and then on the Pennine Way over Auchope Cairn, the team said.

It was also suggested the trolley had broken and that the scrawled message was “cart broken” and not a person’s name.

NNPMRT said the “real breakthrough” came in the evening when a local builder confirmed he had given a walker a lift from near Kidlandlee to Alnwick and a shop in the town confirmed a man had been in to buy a holdall.

In both cases, the walker mentioned he had ditched his trolley in the Cheviots.

Shortly before 19:00, officers confirmed the man had been traced and was eager to have his trolley and its contents back.

“Whilst the incident was wholly avoidable, we are very glad the walker is safe,” NNPMRT said.