LAKE District search and mountain rescue teams' new drone technology has been involved in finding the body of a walker who had been missing for six weeks in the Scottish highlands.

Police in Scotland were informed about a walker who had not returned after a planned trip to the Glencoe area of the highlands on September 7. The mountain rescue team in Glencoe were then mobilised to carry out a search operation.

During the operation, multiple mountain rescue teams, coastguard helicopters, RAF rescue teams, search dogs, drone and police cell data analysis were used.

However, despite finding some clues, such as the walker's rucksack, Glencoe MRT had to make the difficult decision to scale back the operation after ten days.

Towards the end of the operation, the Lake District Search And Mountain Rescue Association drone group reached out to the Glencoe team to assist in search efforts.

The Lake District group has developed new computer-assisted search software for drones. The Glencoe MRT briefed the Lake District team about the complexities of the search.

To utilise the drones, a weather window needed to clear, but eventually the team - which comprised of members of both Cockermouth, and Duddon and Furness MRT - arrived in Glencoe.

The teams collaborated on theories and plans using the software to route a flight paths. The team of three split up to search the faces of the valley where the rucksack was found.

On the morning of the October 24, the team, accompanied by a member of Glencoe MRT, set out on the search.

The software works by covering an area with the drone, taking multiple photographs as it goes.

Each photo is overlapped, so objects that cannot be seen from one angle, can be spotted from another. After the drone lands, those photos are analysed by the software, which searches each image for unusually coloured clusters of pixels, i.e. things that don't belong in the natural landscape.

These anomalies are then viewed by the team on the hill, so they can determine if any require further investigation. 

Later that morning, one of the drones picked up a potential find in their area and the other team diverted their drone to the same area. They were then able to confirm the discovery of the body.

Glencoe MRT and the police were quickly informed. The hill team then made their way to the location, and were joined by the rest of Glencoe MRT who conducted a swift evacuation.

The Lake District division said today: "The LDSAMRA drone teams join Glencoe MRT and all other agencies in offering their condolences to the missing walker's family."

Lake District Search And Mountain Rescue Association (LDSAMRA) is the umbrella organisation representing Cumbrian mountain rescue teams.