A MAJOR search operation was sparked after a child became separated from a family member while walking in the Clwydian hills.

North East Wales Search and Rescue team (NEWSAR) said it was tasked on Saturday evening to locate the 11-year-old boy in the hills near Ruthin.

By this point it was dark and a search commenced involving North Wales Police officers, a police Helicopter and over 20 NEWSAR team members.

Team members deployed in groups to search the likely paths in the area. In just under an hour a NEWSAR party found the boy on a track near to where the family were staying.

A NEWSAR spokesperson said: "He had done a good job of finding his way off the hill, without a torch or navigation equipment!"