Mountain rescue teams argue they should receive public money Read your views

Many teams believe the extra money is needed to reflect their increasing use as "urban search" teams by police.

One team member from north Wales said he feared the 999 service was simply regarded as a "cheap resource".

The Home Office said it was a matter for police forces to decide how they assisted local mountain rescue teams.

Mountain rescue in Scotland has been part-funded by the Scottish Executive since 2003. The 23 teams receive �300,000 a year to divide between them.

The assembly government gives the 11 teams in Wales �18,000, but this money can only be used to buy equipment. The UK Government provides no cash for mountain rescue.

We're mountaineers trying to put something back into the sport, but we're being increasingly used on police jobs Chris Lloyd, Ogwen Valley Mountain Rescue Team

Many teams say they now spend as much time fund-raising as they do on rescues.

Andrew Simpson, from the Mountain Rescue Council for England and Wales, said: "The number of call-outs we are attending goes up year on year.

"We used to get people off hills. These days we're regularly called to search for vulnerable or missing people, and we often have to search for bodies or evidence after a murder," he said.

"We like to think we provide as professional a service as possible, but the job is harder now than it used to be in terms of call-outs. Eventually something will have to give."

Mountain rescue teams are often used in "urban searches"

Mr Simpson said about �1.5m of government money would be needed each year to give "parity" with Scotland.

But he added that an equivalent service could cost up to �30m to set up.

Chris Lloyd, from Ogwen Valley Mountain Rescue Team, said: "We're going out to call-outs that really we should not be called out for.

"We're mountaineers trying to put something back into the sport, but we're being increasingly used on police jobs - we're a cheap resource."

It costs �35,000 a year to run the Ogwen team, but capital expenditure can double that figure - a new, fully-equipped Land Rover costs �30,000.

Llanberis mountain rescue - the busiest team in Wales - said it was replacing its vehicle this year, but could only afford a second-hand one.

Merthyr Tydfil MP Dai Havard, said teams would find it "more difficult" to respond to certain incidents if they were forced to rely on fund raising and donations.

"If it's a missing person search and it's in the town, then they would perhaps not send as many people to it," he said.

Many teams spend as much time fund-raising as they do on rescues

"The quality of the response would drop, but they will still try and do their best - and feel guilty about if as well. That's not good enough."

He said the teams were "very much taken for granted" by the UK Government.

"It's not just the odd call at the weekend - they are becoming part of the responder community for incidents of all sorts," he added.

Mark Moran, from Central Beacons Mountain Rescue, said he did not object to police calling on their expertise in "urban searches".

But he said extra government money would relieve pressure on rescue volunteers who give up their time and money to help people.

A Home Office spokeswoman said the work of mountain rescue volunteers was "welcomed".

She added: "Local police forces have different priorities in the work they do, so it's a matter for them and local chief constables to make a decision on what they do to assist local mountain rescue teams."