A mountain biker was airlifted to hospital with head injuries after falling from his cycle in the Lake District.

Fifteen members of Patterdale Mountain Rescue were called to the scene after the 33-year-old man fell off his bike while descending the track from Keppel towards Greenside Mines.

The rider, a Sheffield man who has not been named by police, sustained serious head injuries and was treated by the team at the scene before being flown by RAF helicopter to the Accident and Emergency Unit at The Cumberland Infirmary, Carlisle.

He was taken to intensive care and his condition was described as stable .

Patterdale Mountain Rescue leader Dave Freeborn said the man, who had been cycling with a group of six, was semi-conscious when the team arrived.

He had been wearing a helmet.