Avalanche risk halts Karl Hinett's Everest trek

Express & Star local hero Karl Hinett has been forced to pull out of a challenge to scale Mount Everest because of safety fears.

The 25-year-old from Tipton was leading a team of injured soldiers up the mountain for his latest fundraising challenge.

However, the group has been forced to abandon the task believing the unseasonably warm conditions increases the likelihood of avalanches and falling ice.

They will make a live broadcast from Everest on Thursday and withdraw the following day. A spokesman for charity Walking With The Wounded said: "The safety of our expedition is of the utmost importance for us."

Walking with the Wounded was established in 2010 to raise funds to retrain wounded servicemen and women. It was the latest challenge for Mr Hinett, who is also more than halfway through a fundraising effort to run 100 official marathons.

Karl, from Hall Lane, joined the Staffordshire Regiment at 17 and was injured when his armoured vehicle was bombed in Iraq in 2005. Sponsors can visit www.justgiving .com/karl-hinett