THE 'sensible actions' of a Duke of Edinburgh Award team helped avoid disaster earlier this week.

The North Dartmoor Search and Rescue Team (DSRT), the Okehampton section of the Dartmoor Rescue Group, were called out on Monday evening to search for a Duke of Edinburgh gold expedition team which was overdue on its planned route across Dartmoor.

Fears grew for the team of seven, two girls and five boys aged between 17 and 18, from Alton College in Hampshire, after they failed to arrive at a checkpoint near Fernworthy Reservoir at 4pm.

The youngsters had set off earlier in the day from Okehampton and were due to meet their team manager later in the day at Fernworthy to pitch camp..

However, as the day wore on, weather conditions in West Devon rapidly deteriorated, with heavy rain and winds battering Dartmoor.

The teenagers were last in contact via mobile phone with their manager when they were near to Watern Tor. After losing mobile phone contact the manager searched back along their planned route but found no sign of them.

When the team failed to meet the rendezvous point the police were called, who in turn called out the search and rescue team.

Eleven members of the NDSRT responded to the callout and search teams were deployed at 10.30pm. Shortly before 1am they heard whistles near the North Teign River, a kilometre north west of Fernworthy Forest.

The team was found camped down close to the river, cold and wet but well. The youngsters were taken to safety by the NDSRT.

Paul Vachon, NDSRT controller at the incident, said: 'The team was well trained and did exactly what an experienced gold team should do.

'When the weather turned nasty they wisely decided not to cross the river, which was starting to swell due to heavy rainfall, and pitched their tents to wait for help.

'The manager was quite right to be concerned when the youngsters missed the rendezvous.

'The weather can change quickly and conditions deteriorate rapidly, catching out those not used to the Dartmoor terrain.

'I have to praise the team and the manager for their sensible actions.'

After a good night's sleep and rest the team continued their expedition on Tuesday, September 2.