Don’t rely on location app What3words, say rescuers

A group lost on the Scafell range had a What3words location of three or four miles away
A group lost on the Scafell range had a What3words location of three or four miles away
ALAMY

The head of mountain rescue volunteers in the Lake District has told hikers not to rely on What3words, a mapping app used by more than eight out of ten emergency services and the AA.

The app has divided the world into 3m squares and given each one a unique three-word address that can be given to rescuers to help find people in trouble. It is used by Cumbria police, which has called it a brilliant app and a life-saver.

However, Richard Warren, chairman of the Lake District Search and Mountain Rescue Association, said: “What3words is an ingenious system, but we do not rely on it. The first resort should always be a map and compass to try to navigate your own way out of