THIRTY rescuers were needed to create an underground human chain that helped save a woman who had been trapped in a cave for more than 12 hours.

The 45-year-old had been navigating her way through an intricate maze of caves known as Old Mill Close Mine, between Wensley and Winster, when she fell.

The two friends she was with had to make the two-and-a-half hour climb back to the surface before alerting Derbyshire Cave Rescue and the emergency services.

Volunteers then began what has been described as one of the organisation's biggest rescue operations, keeping the team at the scene in Wensley, near Matlock, busy until the early hours of yesterday.

Bill Whitehouse, chairman of Derbyshire Cave Rescue, said it took more than 12 hours to bring the casualty to the surface.

He said: "The party of three had descended the 40m-deep Sleeper Shaft and were a considerable way further into the mine labyrinth when she fell about four metres, dislocating her left shoulder.

"The mine is extremely complex and developed on a number of levels, with many internal climbs and shafts.

"The nature of the mine and the very painful injury the caver had suffered meant the evacuation to the surface was an extremely slow, arduous and difficult process."

Mark Loftus, of Tideswell, was among the rescuers who were drafted out to the site near Matlock at about 8.30pm on Monday .

He said: "The mine is like a three-dimensional maze. You can be in a cave and be 10ft underground or in a cave and 200ft under ground but in an operation like this it makes no difference because it is the distance covered that makes it difficult.

"At one time we had up to 30 volunteers inside the cave trying to reach the woman, with 15 on the surface co-ordinating the rescue. In the past 15 years I would say it is one of our biggest rescues in terms of how long it took."

By the time rescuers reached the injured caver, she had already been underground for more than five hours.

Medics then pushed her dislocated shoulder back into place before 30 volunteers from Derbyshire Cave Rescue Organisation formed a human chain and began the task of getting the woman to the surface.

At some stages the woman was put on a stretcher and carried but at other times she had to navigate through holes on her own because of the close proximity.

Mark Loftus, 48, said about 15 additional team members were also needed to co-ordinate the rescue on the surface.

He said: "In such operations the main dangers are the time-scale, as fatigue starts to set in, not only for the injured party but the rescuers themselves.

"I understand the woman, who was from the local area, is ok. We remained at the scene until early yesterday morning and eventually got home at about one in the afternoon."

A spokeswoman for Derbyshire police said officers from were drafted to the scene to help direct ambulances and members of Derbyshire Cave Rescue Organisation.

The woman was taken by ambulance to Chesterfield Royal Hospital and was later released.