Chad Dixon said rescuers were out in "horrific" conditions to find the man in Storm Austen

A headtorch lights up the side of a valley near Upper Esk. It is night and looks like cold conditions. A person can be seen on the edge of a ravine and a large steep crag can be seen opposite the gully.

Five teams of mountain rescuers were out in "horrific" conditions in Storm Austen to search for a lost man.

Wasdale Mountain Rescue Team (WMRT) said a large-scale emergency response was involved to find a young man who had set off Seathwaite to Scafell Pike on Friday morning - during Storm Austen - and had not returned.

Chad Dixon, from WMRT, said crews were out in 50-60mph winds and wet snow until he was found in the Upper Esk at about 03:00 on Saturday 24 October, where he was found "very cold and exhausted" but "a very lucky chap".

Urging people to think before heading out into the hills as a second storm batters Cumbria, Dixon added: "Why should anybody be out in this weather?"

Dixon said more than 45 volunteers were out in the rescue, with the "whole of Lake District ready to deploy", two Coastguard helicopters and search dogs from Scotland, Yorkshire and the Lake District all helping in the search.

The call was raised by the man's parents, who said he had not returned, with his last known position at Taylor Gill Force at 10:30 on Friday 23 October.

WMRT said volunteers from the Duddon and Furness Mountain Rescue team spotted a flashing head torch at 02:40 in the Upper Esk.

"He had been sitting there since 18:00 wearing all his spare clothing," WMRT said, adding "his phone and power bank had both run flat, so he had no way to call for help".

Mountain Rescue teams urge people to think twice before heading out in storm conditions

A headtorch lights up the side of a gully near Upper Esk. It is night and looks like cold conditions. A person can be seen making their way up the ravine and a large steep crag can be seen either side of the rocky gully.

Dixon described the conditions as "horrific", with it being "very cold, gusts of 50-60mph" and adding it "was just not the weather to be out in really, so he was a lucky chap".

Humberside Coastguard Rescue was deployed and flew him down to safety, WMRT said.

"This incident is a stark reminder of how important it is to plan for the conditions," the team said.

WMRT urged people to check the mountain weather forecast and any warnings before setting out.

"A short clip on social media will always show the fells at their best, not the conditions you may actually meet," the team said.

It comes as an amber warning for wind has been issued for parts of Cumbria as the region braces itself for Storm Boelo.

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Storm Austen brings power cuts and travel disruption as more wind and rain forecast

A man holding an umbrella braces himself against the wind. He is walking on a promenade in stormy weather and he is holding a red, white and blue umbrella in front of his face and upper body, to shield him from strong wind and rain. The area around him is hazy. He is wearing a dark jacket, dark tracksuit bottoms and white trainers.