Avon & Somerset Search & Rescue

18 ASC Call-out. Incident 18 27/06/25.  Our team was called to assist Wiltshire Search and Rescue following reports of a male entering the water in Bradford-on-Avon and not resurfacing.

Responding alongside Wiltshire Police, DWFireRescue, Avon Fire & Rescue Service, South Western Ambulance Service, and fellow SAR teams:

Severn Area Rescue Association

Hampshire Search and Rescue Dogs

Lowland Rescue Oxfordshire

Tragically, the missing person was located deceased.

Recovery was carried out by SAR volunteers during a lengthy operation extending into the night.

Our thoughts are with their family and friends at this difficult time, and we thank them for their cooperation with our volunteers on scene.

The team was operational for 6 hours.

17 ASC Call-out. Incident 17 12/06/25. Due to its location the initial call from @aspolice was passed to Exmoor Search & Rescue Team but due to the nature of the terrain and incident our support was requested as well.

We were able to provide team members and search dog Griff via Search and Rescue Dog Association South Wales who made the find of the deceased missing person. Our thoughts are with the family and friends during this difficult period.

16 ASC Call-out. Incident 16. 10/06/25. Incident 16 10/6/25 @aspolice made contact late in the evening to discuss our involvement in a missing person incident. Due to the circumstances, and in agreement with the police, we felt this was not appropriate.

15 ASC Call-out. Incident 15. 16/06/25. Incident 15 2/6/25 We were contacted by @aspolice requesting assistance for the ambulance service with a casualty on a cliff. Due to its location the callout was passed to @exmoorsrt

14 ASC Call-out. Incident 14. 15/05/25. Just after 5pm staff from @cheddargorgeandcaves contacted us and @aspolice as a family member was concerned that a male was overdue from his walk around the gorge. The male was a visitor and not familiar to the area and was 1.5 hours overdue.

The team was put on standby and then called out to undertake hasty searches of the surrounding path network.

As team members were arriving and about to be deployed news came through that the missing male had emerged on to the road at the top of the gorge. A team vehicle was despatched to collect him, safe and well, and return him to his family.

The team was operational for 1.5 hours.

13 ASC Call-out. Incident 13. 04/05/25. We were called out early afternoon to assist @aspolice in the search for a high risk missing male in the Evercreech area.

As a large area of woodland and river valleys needed searching we were joined by @wiltshiresearchandrescue Our thanks to them.

Sadly the missing person was found deceased by others. Search team members were able to assist with guiding the police and @swas_ft officers in to the location.

Our thoughts are with his family and friends during this really difficult period. We wish them well.

The team was operational for over 5 hours.

12 ASC Call-out. Incident 12. 20/04/25. Our rope rescue team was called out today at 13:20 to a dog fallen over the edge in Cheddar Gorge. With concerns for the dog falling further and the possibility of the public trying to assist on a busy bank holiday weekend, team members scrambled up from the bottom of the gorge to where the dog was last seen.

After the dog was located, a team member was lowered from the top, to then be hauled back up with the dog, as recovery to the top was the easiest evacuation option. Once at the top the dog was returned to its owners who took it to a local vet for an assessment.

Working alongside:

Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service

Cheddar Fire Station

11 ASC Call-out. Incident 11. 1/4/25. @aspolice contacted us during the evening requesting help with recovering a deceased male from steep woodland in Weston super Mare. We were able to respectfully move him to the roadside. Our thoughts are with his family and friends now as they begin to mourn.

The team were operational for 1.5 hrs.

10 ASC Call-out. Incident 10 5/3/25 The team were contacted indirectly via Mendip Cave Rescue concerning an injured horse-rider on Wavering Down in the Mendip Hills. The team was called to their location following confirmation with Avon and Somerset Police and South Western Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust As local team members were arriving they confirmed ambulance teams were also arriving. Our response was kept to these local resources assisting with the packaging and evacuation of the injured lady. We wish her a speedy recovery.

The team was operational for nearly 2 hours.

09 ASC Call-out. Incident 9. 1/3/25 (third incident of this day) In the early evening Avon and Somerset Police contacted the team requesting support for South Western Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust with an injured lady in woodlands near Frome. We were able to deploy team members to the location (who were returning from another call-out) and help move her to a vehicle at the roadside.

The team was operational for 2 hours.

08 ASC Call-out. Incident 8. 1-2/3/25. Avon and Somerset Police contacted us early Saturday morning requesting support with the search for Luis Piovesana in north Bristol, specifically around the River Frome. Over the weekend we were able to deploy search teams into the water, along the steep wooded river valley and into wooded areas around Purdown. This also included our drone searching areas of scrub.

Our technical search was complemented by many friends, family and members of the public helping out which was remarkable to be part of. Tragically Luis was found by the police dive team on 3/3/25. We hope his family can take solace from the great display of community support.

The team was operational for 14 hours.

07 ASC Call-out. Incident 7. 1/3/25 Wiltshire Search and Rescue requested support in the ongoing search for Sebastian Sailes. We were able to deploy a few of our specialist water technicians to help who were operational all day whilst the remaining team were deployed to incident 8 in Bristol.

06 ASC Call-out. 18-02-2025 Our Land Search Team was called out early this morning. Around 2am, Gloucestershire Constabulary asked us to support a search for a missing lady in the Cinderford area of the Forest of Dean. Search parties soon assembled and searched through the small hours.
Sadly whilst the search was ongoing, a body was discovered by a member of the public. Our thoughts are with the family and friends of the lady concerned.
Many thanks to all who responded, which included our colleagues from Gloucestershire Cave Rescue Group and Avon & Somerset Search and Rescue.
Severn Area Rescue Association – Wyre Forest Station
Severn Area Rescue Association – Beachley
Severn Area Rescue Association – Tewkesbury
SARA Cotswolds

05 ASC Call-out. 12/02/25 The team were requested by @aspolice to help two people who were stuck in a steep part of Cheddar Gorge. @dsfireupdates also responded and were able to help the people back down to the road.

The team were operational for 1.5 hours.

04 ASC Call-out. 2/2/25 The team were contacted by @aspolice to assist @swas_ft with an injured horse rider on Black Down in the Mendip Hills.

We were able to provide pain relief and protection from the cold while we escorted a paramedic to the scene. Following further pain relief the casualty was moved to a stretcher and then carefully carried over 1km across rough terrain to the waiting ambulance.

We wish the injured horse rider a speedy recovery.

The team was operational for 4 hours.

03 ASC Call-out. 26-27/1/25 As flood waters were rising in South Somerset on Sunday night we were part of a multi-agency response to help affected people. Team members were operational for nearly 12 hours overnight helping residents move from flooded properties and carrying out welfare checks on others.

02 ASC Call-out. A member of the public found an injured person by the roadside in Cheddar Gorge today (6/1/25). They had dialled 999 requesting an ambulance but were growing increasingly concerned for the casualty due to the cold. They called 999 again and asked for Mountain Rescue, @aspolice passed the call straight to us. As an Incident Controller was gathering more details from the passer by they confirmed the casualty was now being loaded into an ambulance. No attendance required.

Our thanks to the passer by for stopping to help and thinking of asking for us as @swas_ft have so many pressures to deal with.

01 ASC Call-out. On Saturday night 04/01/2025 the team deployed along with several other SAR agencies and 4×4 response groups assisting Avon and Somerset Police in reaching a number of incidents that were difficult to access due to the adverse weather conditions.

Snow and ice covered many of the rural roads in the BANES area. Members in the teams 4×4 vehicle worked with the police to attend a large number of incidents caused by the inclement weather.

22 ASC Call-out. Avon and Somerset Police contacted the team during the late evening on 3/12/24 following concerns for a high-risk male in Avon Gorge. The team was put on standby as discussions continued around how we could best help. Given the circumstances it was agreed by all involved that we could be called at first light to undertake a land and cliff search. The team was stood down pending further contact.

Sadly the police reported that a deceased male had been found in the gorge the next day. Our thoughts are with his family and friends as they begin the grieving process.

21 ASC Call-out.  The team were deployed to major flooding in Yate, South Gloucestershire overnight. Throughout the night, welfare checks were made on residents in their properties.

Other team members delivered support roles, all part of a large multi-agency response to support people in our community. The team worked alongside @avonfirerescue and supported by our neighbouring Mountain Rescue Teams @severn_area_rescue_association and @exmoorsrt.