A hoax call to the Coastguard service in Dublin yesterday led to a rescue helicopter wasting three hours searching the Wicklow mountains.
Wicklow Mountain Rescue, on foot of a 999 call, requested the Coastguard to assist with the evacuation of a climber with a broken ankle at 12.35 p.m. The Coastguard dispatched a helicopter to the scene and after circling the area for some time it returned to Dublin to refuel and set off again.
The mission was called off at 3.26 p.m. when a further 999 call was made regarding the injured climber and laughing was heard in the background.
The Coastguard condemned this and other hoax calls, which it said were being received "all the time".
"It's a terrible waste of resources. A real emergency could have arisen elsewhere and the helicopter would have been unavailable," a spokesman said.
However, before leaving Lugnaquilla, the Wicklow mountain rescue teams came upon two German hill-walkers who had been camping in Glenmalure and lost their way walking the Wicklow Way. They were escorted to safety.