A 27-YEAR-OLD woman slipped and fell in the Yorkshire Dales yesterday afternoon, injuring her back.

The woman had to be carried by stretcher up a steep and slippery path at Scaleber Force, Settle, and to a waiting road ambulance.

A spokesperson for Clapham-based Cave Rescue Organisation (CRO) said: "A visitor slipped and fell a short distance at the foot of the lowest cascade of Scaleber Force, experiencing serious back pain.

"After assessing the site, the Yorkshire Ambulance Service paramedics requested CRO’s assistance with the rescue. Having given pain relief and put her into an insulated casualty bag, team members lifted the casualty onto a Bell Stretcher for the haul/ carry up the steep and slippery path.

"Casualty and stretcher were then sledged across to the road-head for her transfer to the road ambulance. The patient’s family followed the ambulance to hospital, where we hope her recovery can begin."