A party of five experienced cavers descended Titan on a trip that was intended to take them into Speedwell, through Colostomy Crawl and then out of Peak Cavern. When they reached Mucky Ducks they formed the opinion that the way through had sumped and was impassable. They then returned the way they had come intending to exit via JH which they knew to be rigged. When they had not emerged some two and a half hours after their ETA the alarm was raised. A search was started with one team entering Peak (where Mucky Ducks was not sumped!) and other teams entering Speedwell. Team members were also sent up to JH and Titan entrances with radios. Some two hours after the alarm had been raised one member of the missing party emerged at JH to report that his companions were following some way behind but one of them was exhausted and would need assistance. A small team went down to help and JH was rigged for hauling to complete the operation.

One of the last pair of a party of eight descending Titan got into difficulties at the Event Horizon change over and became hung up. Those who had already reached the bottom set off to the Speedwell exit where they raised the alarm. Some time later the marooned caver was freed by her companion cutting through her cows tail and they then both made their way successfully to the foot of the shaft where they waited for help as they did not know the route on. One DCRO team descended Titan, made contact with the two cavers, confirmed that they were O.K. and started to guide them out meeting on the way a second team who had been sent in through Speedwell.

A party of five climbers and cavers from South Yorkshire were on their way out of the cave having completed a round trip when two of them got into difficulties on Garlands Pot where conditions were very wet. DCRO were called and a team eventually totalling 27 attended. The first party to arrive at Garlands Pot found the two cavers on the pitch with a third member of the party (who had gone back after raising the alarm) at the top. Two of the party had been trying unsuccessfully to get their unconscious companion to the top of the pitch. With the additional manpower and equipment provided by the first rescuers both cavers found on the pitch were recovered to the top. Two of the party, although tired and hypothermic, were able to make their own way  out of the cave with assistance. The third and unconscious member of the party was evacuated by stretcher and handed over to the ambulance service. He was taken to hospital in Stockport where despite attempts to re-warm and revive him, he was eventually pronounced dead. Our condolences go to the family and friends of the  deceased.

DCRO were asked to go and see to a sheep which was rampaging around the  top of the cliffs above the entrance to the cavern and showering down rocks which were landing in the area between the cavern gate and the kiosk. A small team attended and two members roped down to try and get the  sheep. Unfortunately it evaded capture, but whilst doing so it ran over the edge  of the cliff and came to a nasty end in the gorge below.

On returning from a trip a little way down the Crabwalk a 55 year old  female caver became too exhausted to climb Garlands Pot on ladder with lifeline assistance. One of the party exited the cave and flagged down a passing EMAS paramedic to raise the alarm before returning underground to fetch out the third member of the party who was a novice. A DCRO team of twelve attended. The woman  was put into a harness and hauled up the pitch after which she was able to make  her own way out to the surface.

A 30 year old male caver on an guided trip slipped in the streamway and dislocated his right knee. Two companions went for help and three stayed with him. The police were contacted and they alerted DCRO at about 15.15 on Sunday afternoon. The team doctor and medical officer attended the casualty and after administering pain relief they were able to relocate his knee and splint his leg. After consulting with the casualty it was decided to carry out the evacuation with him in a harness and splint sooner than in a stretcher. The rescue was inevitably an extremely slow process and involved a lot of specialist rigging on pitches and traverses. The evacuation started just before 20.00 and the casualty reached the surface just after 02.20 on Monday morning. Forty team  members and a number of other other cavers were involved in the rescue including two paramedics from the East Midlands Ambulance Service Cave Rescue Support Unit.

A farmer discovered that one of his lambs had got under the side of a shaft cap and had fallen about twenty feet onto a ledge. A small team attended and carefully dismantled the shaft cap and removed loose rocks before one team member abseiled down to the animal. The lamb was unhurt and was hauled out safely in the DCRO animal bag. It has probably been eaten by now!

An experienced caver - one of three instructors with a party of ten novices - was taken seriously ill from suspected food poisoning some way beyond the foot of the second pitch. He made his own way back to the foot of the pitch but was unable to get any further and DCRO was alerted after some of the party reached the surface and telephoned the police.
The casualty was warmed and given medical treatment including intravenous fluids in the hope that he would recover sufficiently to be able to make his own way out. When this did not work he was put into a stretcher and his evacuation started. On reaching the top of the first pitch he had begun to recover and was able to make his own way from there out to the surface with assistance.
The whole operation took a little over six hours and involved just over thirty rescuers.

DCRO was alerted when a party was reported overdue on a trip into Far Sump Extension. Some team members set off for Peak but were stood down after the "missing" cavers telephoned the person who raised the alarm to say that they were safely on the surface.

PDMRO and the South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue Service had been called to  the assistance of a man who had become wedged whilst trying to negotiate a route through fissures in Higgar Tor. He was uninjured but had become jammed in a vertical fissure a little way underground. DCRO were called in support and after rock had been chiselled from around the man he was able to descend the fissure to a chamber from where he was taken back out to the  surface.

DCRO was asked by the farmer to rescue a sheep trapped on a ledge opposite Peveril Castle in Cavedale. A team met up in the evening and safely recovered the trapped animal uninjured by abseiling down to it and lowering it from the crag in a new specially designed animal bag.

An experienced caver and digger was hit and trapped by a falling boulder in a dig a short way from the bottom of the entrance shaft. His companions telephoned the police from the nearby farm requesting assistance. First on the scene were the fire brigade and caving paramedics. The paramedics descended and were able to confirm that the man had died. DCRO team members then started work on recovering the man from underground. As the accident had  occurred only a few feet below the surface in soft ground and as the cave in the  region of the accident site was not stable it was decided to dig down from the  surface using a JCB. The operation took around seven hours with DCRO being supported throughout by the Derbyshire Fire and Rescue Service and the  police.

A party on a through-trip from JH was reported overdue. A member of the party had difficulties on the Block Hall rebelay resulting in the trip taking longer than anticipated. When the call-out was received, team members and the vehicle were attending a farewell evening at the Wanted Inn, Sparrowpit. The licensees, Christine and Mike, have been staunch supporters of DCRO during their time at the Wanted Inn. Team members together with the DCRO vehicle arrived on the scene as the overdue party exited the cave.

A report was received of a party of cavers possibly overdue after a trip into the White River series. A team member was asked to check Peak Cavern entrance and the TSG hut before a full call out was started. The missing cavers were located in Castleton village, safe and well after a longer than expected trip.

DCRO were asked to assist in the search for a missing man whose car had been parked on the road between Treak Cliff Cavern and Odin Mine for some days. Mountain Rescue teams had been searching a two kilometre circle around the parked car and in view of the number of obvious cave and mine entrances in the area, they requested DCRO support. Twenty-three team members attended and went to the better known and/or obvious entrances in the area. As the man was not a caver, searches were carried out only to the limit a non-caver without tackle might have reached on purpose, or by falling. Nothing was found. The man turned up on Friday 20th January having been recognised on his way back to his car from wherever he had been!

Called to assist EMAS paramedics evacuate an elderly lady who had become exhausted climbing the steps out of the cavern. A small team assisted carrying the lady, in an ambulance chair, out of the cavern.

Requested by a local landowner via Edale MRT to recover a sheep stranded 10 metres down the open cut.

A caver while abseiling down the second (Bitch) pitch fell the final 5 metres. Due to location in the cave and suspecting a spinal injury he was evacuated via Leviathan and out though Speedwell Cavern. This was DCRO's biggest and most technical rescue in recent years lasting over 9 hours and involving over 50 rescue personnel. The injured caver was later found not to have damaged his spine. He had fractured his scapula (shoulder blade), some ribs and had severe bruising.

An experienced caver slipped below the entrance shaft injuring his arm. DCRO were put on stand-by whilst a successful self rescue was carried out.

Two novice cavers on a training course were sent down Eyam dale shaft with instructions to exit the via the Gin Entrance. When they had not exited in the expected time a search was made of the intended route, when no one was found DCRO were called. As a more detailed search was started the missing cavers were found safe but cold and tired, they had lost their way and gone up Big Dig.

Caver made an uncontrolled decent while abseiling down Garlands pot. Sustaining fractured vertebrae he was stretchered to the surface where he was air-lifted to hospital.

A local resident reported a lost dog suspecting it had gone down a near by cave. A local team member had a preliminary look then sought advice. A search was organised for the evening. The dog however turned up as team members were about to leave home.

A caver abseiled of the end of the rope wile descending Garlands pot. He complained of back pain impaired use of a leg. DCRO members stretchered him to surface where he was air-lifted to hospital.

An 11 year old boy became stuck in a tight rift in a gritstone cave approx 230mm wide. One DCRO team member managed to reach him and tie a rope round the boy's legs and with some persuasion and a tight rope the boy eased himself back out the way he came.

A party doing a JH / Peak through trip were reported overdue. The party had taken a wrong turn and having visited the Assault course decided to retrace there route and exit via JH. DCRO members located them in the workshop area of JH and after some food and drink escorted them to the surface via Speedwell cavern.

A caver had problems at a rebelay below the Event Horizon. While the alarm was raised he had managed to free himself. DCRO members assisted him on the final pitch.

A female caver lost control descending Garlands pot. Suspecting back injuries she was evacuated to the surface and taken by ambulance to hospital.

A member of a party camping in the cave overnight had slipped hurting his back. In the morning he slipped again causing great pain. DCRO were alerted and evacuated him to a waiting ambulance at Earl Sterndale.

Police requested DCRO's assistance in recovering a body from between two canal barges. DCRO divers were in attendance but were not needed. The body was recovered without getting wet.

Acting on a request from the police a search of all known caves and accessible open passages on Stanley Moor, for a possible missing camper, no body was found.

An 80 year old man with cardiac problems became ill during a tourist trip. Paramedics attended and requested DCRO's assistance evacuating the casualty. 12 team members attended underground.

A home made rope ladder was reported left on Garlands and concerns raised that a party may be in difficulties deeper in the system. It was concluded a search was necessary, although almost certainly a false alarm. A team of 4 checked the cave down Crab Walk to Geology Pot and back via the Upper Series, also checking the Upper Series from Base Camp Chamber. No sign of anyone was found.

R.S.P.C.A. and fire brigade requested DCRO's assistance and advice about rescuing a goat which had fallen 15m down a mine shaft. Goat "Queenie" was successfully recovered by DCRO.

Call to advise about a shaft found in a disused mine. CCPC team stood down on route to Walsall, assistance was not required.

Caver fell 4 metres in Bung Chamber sustaining a suspected pelvic fracture. Casualty was treated on site by EMAS paramedics and evacuated via the climbing shaft. No serious injuries were later found: just bad bruising.

Requested to check the mine following a report of a car being parked for two days. One team member checked the entrance with the police, two cavers were found safe and well camping. False alarm.

Assist PDMRO search the area around Pindale for a missing teenager. The teenager was found later, safe, at a house in Stockport.

A party of 10 had gone down Crab Walk, turning back just before the vice. One member was unable to climb the Garlands pitch and after a few attempts the party called for assistance. A DCRO team was raised and on reaching the stranded caver he was warmed and fitted with a harness. With a little help the caver made his own way out of the cave.

Search a drainage culvert for a youth seen entering it whilst being chased by the police. The culvert was searched for approx 500 metres. to its conclusion, no one was found.

Not an underground rescue but one of those funny little jobs that comes to DCRO from time to time. The police and fire service had been called when a dog swimming along the shoreline of the reservoir had managed to get itself marooned in an airspace beneath some pipe supports. The fire service launched what looked like an industrial airbed (designed for water, mud and ice rescue situations) as a base of operations and from that the situation could be properly weighed up from water level. The task of reaching the dog turned out to be more of a duck than a dive and once that had been determined the dog was quickly reached and taken to safety without the need for further back up.

Requested to search the length of the river through Buxton town centre after a pile of clothes were found by the river. Nothing was found.

An experienced caver had just entered the cave and stepping the wrong way fell 5 metres. Buxton MRT were first on the scene (fund raising in Castleton), Edale MRT were also called. DCRO attended with EMAS and evacuated the injured caver, back injuries were suspected. The casualty was taken to hospital where broken ribs and kidney damage was diagnosed.

Two experienced cavers were reported overdue on a trip into Nettle where it was believed that they had intended to bottom either Beeza or Elizabeth shafts. They were supposed to have reported their exit by 20:00 but nothing had been heard of them by 22:45. Two DCRO members drove to Nettle to see if the overdue party's car was still there. It was so they began a callout from the scene. The next pair of team members to arrive set off for the cave to check the entrance and they met the missing party on the surface as they had just emerged. They were surprised to be "rescued" as they were perfectly all right. It seems that a wire had got crossed somewhere - they thought that they had given an "alert" time as eight a.m. the following morning, not eight p.m. that night...

Three Youths from Bonsall were reported overdue on a trip into Jug Holes. They were reported to have entered the Lower Adit with the intention of coming out of the large entrance further up the hill. Two local team members were first on site and they went down the upper entrance quickly finding the missing party about a hundred metres into the system. The youths had become lost about an hour or so after entering the cave and their torches had failed one by one leaving them little choice but to stay put. They were cold but uninjured and they were helped out of the cave after the climb up to the upper entrance had been rigged to assist them. They were poorly equipped for the trip with inadequate lighting and clothing. Only one had a "helmet" - a rather fetching stainless steel kitchen colander with a broken string chin strap! They did not seem to have been put off caving but did agree to go better equipped next time.

A Man had gone missing somewhere on Stanton Moor whilst on his way to a rave in Lees Cross Quarry. An extensive search over a number of days had failed to find any sign of him and DCRO were asked to help by checking out the overgrown ledges and fissures on the face of the quarry itself. Before the search was commenced, "eco-warriors" camped on the moor discovered the body of the man at the foot of the quarry face. The police then amended their request and DCRO were asked to examine the rock face for evidence that the man had, in fact, fallen there. Two team members abseiled down the seventy five feet high face, collecting evidence and taking photographs to assist the police and coroner's investigation into the circumstances of the man's death.

A Party of six youths was seen to enter the Seven Sisters Cave at Dudley, West Midlands (a disused and quite extensive limestone mine). Only two were seen to come out. The Police and Fire Service were informed and when their initial attempts to call out the Midlands CRO failed the Derbyshire Police were contacted as DCRO was the next nearest CRO. Ten of the Crewe CPC team were mobilised and made their way to the scene arriving about one and a half hours after the initial call to the DCRO Controller. They found Police, Fire Service and Mines Rescue on site and the first few Midlands CRO members were also beginning to arrive. The Mines Rescue had already been in voice contact with some of the youths a little way into the mine and had concluded that they had been drinking or taking drugs. DCRO set up control and then a party of Midlands CRO entered the mine accompanied by a Police Officer. The youths were no longer in evidence and the police, convinced they had left the cave by one of the numerous other entrances, decided that no further searching was warranted.

A party of six (including two novices) went as far as the first pitch where four of them descended using a ladder and lifeline. They didn't go much further into the cave and when they turned back one of the novices, a 52 year old man, was too exhausted to climb the pitch, even with assistance. Three of the party returned to the surface to get help. The Police called the Fire Service, Ambulance Service and DCRO. The Fire Service attended in force (including the Rope Access Team from Matlock) and the Ambulance Service provided both ground and air ambulances. The Fire Service were first on site and two Firemen went underground using equipment borrowed from the exhausted man's companions. They were followed shortly afterwards by DCRO Team Members. The man was escorted from the cave without undue difficulty and was examined on the surface by paramedics...

Police were searching for the missing body of a man they believed to have been murdered at his home in Hope. The suspected murderer knew the area of Bradwell Moor adjacent to the Hope Cement Works intimately and DCRO were asked to investigate certain mine workings, caves and shafts in case the body or other evidence had been dumped in them. A team of twenty assembled to carry out the search and working in two groups the covered Pindale and Dirtlow Rake in detail and also descended a number of shafts elsewhere (including Bird Mine). Nothing of interest to the police was discovered. The missing man's body was subsequently found by police buried in the garden of his home... During the search DCRO were also diverted to help deal with a walker who had suffered a heart attack.

Ambulance Paramedics were called to attend an elderly woman tourist who had been taken ill whilst on a show cave tour. They requested DCRO assistance to get her out to the surface and a team of eight was turned out. The woman was on the tourist route close to the Crystallised Cavern and after consultation with the paramedics she was put into a cave rescue stretcher for the journey out. Getting the stretcher up the pothole steps was as tricky as usual but was carried out without incident and she was on the surface about thirty minutes after the team arrived.

Mountain Rescue Teams were helping police search for a missing man whose car had been found abandoned near Middleton by Wirksworth. There was evidence that he had been contemplating suicide... Due to the number of mines and mine shafts in the area DCRO support was requested and a small team as mobilised. Shortly after the first team members arrived on site the mans body was found on surface by a MR team member.

A man went missing from home after leaving a note suggesting that he might be contemplating suicide. His car was found at the car park at Lyme Park near Disley and a search was commenced. As there were thought to be mine shafts and culverts in the area DCRO were called out in support of Mountain Rescue Teams. A preliminary investigation revealed no open shaft or culverts - and then the man walked into the car park looking for his car...

Two adequately but novice cavers entered the Gin Entrance at about 10:30 and made their way into 'New Carlswark' where they explored various passages. When they tried to make their way out of 'New Carlswark' they were unable to find the entrance into Northwest Passage. They ended up travelling the Big Dig loop four times before wisely deciding that a fifth trip through the canal would serve no useful purpose. They then settled down to wait for help. They were reported missing when they didn't return home and a DCRO controller was contacted by the police by 19:30 (nine hours after the pair had entered the cave). At around 20:30 three small search teams entered the cave, one into the Resurgence Entrance, one down the Gin and one the Eyam Dale Shaft. About fifteen minutes later the missing pair were found by one of the teams, cold, mildly hypothermic and very dehydrated. They were fed and warmed underground and then made their way out of the cave under escort, surfacing from the Gin Entrance shortly after 22:00 - twelve and a half hours after they had gone underground.

A local lad had left a suicide note and vanished. The Police requested a search of the culverted Henmore Brook under the centre of Ashbourne and a small team assembled and set off for the scene. They were stopped en route as further information from the police was received that the youth had been found alive and well - in bed at home...

Two experienced cavers went to push a passage at the top of Montagu Aven at the end of Windy Passage in the Dungeon Series. One stayed in the chamber at the foot of the aven while the other climbed up. When the climber had reached a height of about forty to fifty feet there was a considerable rock fall below him which blocked about twenty feet of the aven with the foot of the choke jammed at a point about sixteen feet above the aven floor. The man in the aven was unhurt and able to communicate with his companion below. They both spent about half an hour trying to clear the blockage but realised help would be needed. The caver below the choke left the cave and the alarm was raised about 19.05. A large team assembled with an assortment of engineering gear and the first rescuers reached the scene underground at about 21.00. They set up Molephone communications with the surface and also made contact with the trapped man and the choke was inspected. After all other options had been considered and the way out of the bottom of the aven protected from falling rock by a dry stone barrier, one man (Derek Stables) climbed up to a point level with the bottom of the choke and about 22.15 he began work on the jammed boulders with a crowbar. About one nerve-wracking hour and several impressive rumbles later a way through to the trapped man was opened up and he was able to abseil down and join his liberators. He then made his own way out to the surface, arriving there at about 23:30.

Two experienced cavers were the derigging rearguard on a long trip into the system by over a dozen cavers from the same club. Two of the party waited on the surface for them to surface, having last seen them at the top of the Leviathan pitch where it was known that they had been experiencing some difficulties with a tackle bag. When they had not appeared more than two hours the two on the surface asked for assistance as they were not in a condition to safely go back down the system themselves without a rest and replacement lighting. A DCRO call out was started but as the first team members arrived on scene, the missing cavers were seen by their companions on the entrance pitch. The DCRO members on site provided coffee and helped de-rig and the rest of the team was stood down. The two overdue men had had to retrieve a tackle bag they had dropped down Leviathan and had then dropped their own bag, smashing their spare lights in the process. One of their main lights then failed leaving them with one light between them to move a lot of gear back to the surface. This had taken a long time!

A party of cavers reported a sheep stuck on a ledge some way down the sloping upper half of the shaft at its North end. A small team turned out to help them retrieve the animal and bring it to the surface. Team members abseiled down to the animal, caught it trussed it up and then it was hauled uninjured to the surface.

Two experienced cavers were on their way back from the bottom of the cave and had ascended the First Pitch up to the high level belay point. One of the men then tried to traverse back down to stream level in the wrong place and became jammed. He was unable to free himself even with some help from his companion, who when it became obvious further assistance was required, left for the surface. Eighteen team members turned out and contact was quickly made with the man underground. He had eventually managed to de-jam himself and had continued towards the entrance for some distance before finding a dry place to await help as he was very cold and tired. After further rest and warming the man was escorted to the surface.

This was a call to assist and advise the South Yorkshire Fire Brigade who had been called to a small cave near Thurcroft where a terrier had gone missing whilst chasing after rabbits. The dog had vanished on Sunday and its owner and others had been digging for it ever since, the operation expanding as the days progressed. The fire service were only called when the local council realised this activity was all taking place on their land. The excavations of an earth bank since Sunday had eventually revealed the entrance to a small cave in the magnesian limestone. This was only about twelve feet long before it became impossibly tight. The dog searchers had used all sorts of listening devices, probes and so forth but had not been able to ascertain whether the dog was alive, or indeed that it was actually in the tiny cave continuation. A small DCRO team turned out and advised that nothing could be done without mining through solid rock. The council officials did not want done but agreed to allow the hole to be left open for a few days to see if the dog would come out on its own. As for as I know it didn't.

A 48 year old relatively inexperienced female caver had been as far as the First Pitch with an experienced companion. On their way back to the surface they were hit by a flood pulse following a very heavy shower on the surface. They experienced difficulty getting up Idiot's Leap where the woman lost both boots in the process. They managed to get as far as the chamber just before the entrance but the woman's companion judged that she was beginning to suffer from hypothermia and was too exhausted to manage the entrance climb which was still somewhat "aqueous". A surface companion went for help and fifteen DCRO team members attended. The entrance was rigged with polythene to contain the swollen stream and keep part of the shaft clear and after she had been revived in the cave with hot drinks and food she was escorted to the entrance and hauled to the surface.

A 70 year old female tourist was taken ill about halfway down the tourist section of the cave with a suspected heart attack. A small team was called out to support ambulance service paramedics already at the scene. The woman was put into a stretcher and evacuated to the surface without undue difficulty.

Two cavers were reported overdue on a trip into Odin Mine. The first DCRO member to arrive at the scene made contact with the missing men as they were coming out of the mine entrance and the rest of the team were therefore stood down. The men had not been in trouble but the trip had taken rather longer than they had anticipated that it would.