Peak District walker drove home as search continued
- Published
A walker whose disappearance prompted a five-hour search operation was later spotted driving home while rescue teams were still looking for her.
She had phoned police to say she was lost in the Peak District at about 14:00 GMT on Thursday.
Five mountain rescue teams were drafted in to help find her.
The search was only called off when the woman, who had apparently reached safety, was spotted on CCTV travelling home in her car to Lincolnshire.
Steve Cullabine, from Woodhead Mountain Rescue Team, said he could not understand why the woman had not thought to tell anyone she no longer needed help, given she had raised the alarm in the first place.
"She knew we were out," he said. "You'd have thought once she got off the hill and back to her car she would have called someone."
Mr Cullabine said initial reports had suggested the woman had got into difficulties between Crowden and Black Hill.
A team was deployed to the summit of Black Hill while mountain rescue teams from Glossop, Oldham, Bolton and Holme Valley were put on standby.
Police tried to maintain contact with the missing walker but were hampered by problems locating her phone signal which meant the search intensified to using all five rescue teams.
The police eventually called to confirm the walker's car had been picked up by Automatic Number Plate Recognition cameras and that she was safe and well.