AN ABANDONED rucksack sparked a major search and rescue operation on a Lakeland mountain.

Eighteen members of Patterdale Mountain Rescue Team were called to Dollywagon Pike area Sunday after two walkers phoned the emergency services on a mobile phone.

They had discovered a rucksack unattended at the summit of the peak and were concerned the owner had slipped and fallen from the path.

However, as the walker was reporting the incident he lost his mobile phone signal before he could give detailed information as to the whereabouts of the rucksack. So PMRT had to deploy a full rescue kit with no clear idea of where to conduct the search.

The team eventually located the two men who informed them that the owner of the rucksack had left it at the summit while he descended the hill to retrieve a par of glasses he had left further down.