A TEAM of police officers will be swapping their normal "beats" in Burnley and Pendle to scale new heights and collar cash for a children's charity.

The long arm, and legs, of the law will be tackling two Scottish mountain ridges amounting to a 25-mile hike and a 10,000ft climb in total within 24 hours to raise cash for Children's Aid Direct.

The nine officers, who range from an acting Chief Inspector to police constable, all work within Burnley and Pendle.

They will set off from Colne police station on July 24 to tackle the South Glen Shiel and Mamores ridges taking in 11 Munro peaks - mountains over 3,000ft - along the way.

The team will camp out overnight at Fort William between the ascents.

Asda has offered to supply the team with food and Hillendale Land Rover dealership will provide transport with two Discoverys.

But the team is still looking for support from individual sponsors or firms and organisations.

The aim of the Scottish Ridges Challenge is to raise £4,000 for the charity which helps improve the lives of children all over the world.

One of the group, Chief Inspector Mike Cunningham, said: "It should be challenging but interesting as well. We are all looking forward to it."

Companies who can offer support in kind can contact PC Gordon Purves on 01282 472488.

Individuals interested in sponsoring the team are asked to contact the main police switchboard at Colne on 01282 863161 and pass on their details to the operator.

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