Kettlewell, Derwentwater (124)

Callout Date: 09/12/2025
Callout Time: 2:34 pm
Agencies Involved: Keswick MRT, Derwentwater Marina, Cumbria Fire and Rescue, Police, Coast Guard

Storm Bram was showing its fury on Derwentwater when a member of the public spotted what they thought was a swimmer struggling in the water off the shore at Kettlewell. A rescue boat from Derwentwater Marina managed to get to the area after struggling against the wind and large waves. Meanwhile teams arrived at Kettlewell to check with binoculars and perform a shore search. An attempt to fly the police drone was aborted due to the storm force winds. Nothing was found, but a Coastguard helicopter was tasked to search the area to make doubly sure. After discussions with all parties, it was agreed to stand down the helicopter too on the basis that the probability was that the object in the water was a buoy. A case of a false alarm with good intentions.

Lake callouts, of which we get a few every year, end up involving numerous agencies with different and complimentary equipment and skills. Today’s incident proved extremely useful as a real time multi-agency training exercise with valuable learning points for all teams.

15 Keswick team members – 2 hours 16 minutes