Farron welcomes future of mountain weather service

South Lakes MP Tim Farron has welcomed news that the future of the Mountain Weather Information Service has been secured, following the threat of closure.

The service provides detailed weather forecasts to people venturing into some of Britain's wildest terrain both in Scotland and throughout the UK, including here in the Lake District. Sportscotland has pledged to maintain funding to the service for the next three years, meaning that its future is now secure.

The service in England and Wales gets revenue from advertising, but there were concerns about the future of the service as a whole if the Scottish service were to disappear because of the withdrawal of funding.

Tim had been contacted by many local residents concerned about this issue. Earlier in the week, he had written to the Chief Executive of the Met Office to highlight the importance of the service.

Tim said: "I'm very relieved to hear the MWIS' future has been secured. It's a lifeline for visitors, adventurers and the scores of volunteers who risk their lives to rescue those who get into difficulty on our mountains. Access to accurate and detailed information is critical for those who will be outdoors in the wildest places in the country, enabling them to make safe and sensible decisions to keep out of danger. My thanks go to sportscotland for this important investment."