THE Army has issued a statement after three cadets were taken to hospital after being rescued from a remote hillside.

Longtown Mountain Rescue Team said the "sizeable" rescue took place on Pen Cerrig Calch, near Crickhowell, in "challenging conditions".

As the rain lashed down on the remote hillside, near the Golden Valley on the Herefordshire border, the Abergavenny-based mountain rescuers were joined by colleagues from Brecon and Central Brecon teams.

The "pan-Wales, multi-agency" call out on Wednesday, November 2, also involved the Maritime and Coastguard Agency's 187 helicopter from St Athan, near Cardiff, Dyfed-Powys Police and the Welsh Ambulance Service.

Two people were taken by air to the Grange University Hospital, Cwmbran, and one person was taken by road to Prince Charles Hospital, Merthyr for further treatment.

The Army has now confirmed the three people which had to be rescued from the Black Mountains on the Herefordshire border were cadets.

A spokesperson said three Royal Military Academy Sandhurst cadets received emergency services support after being "exposed to unpredictable weather conditions" during an exercise in the Black Mountains.

The Royal Military Academy Sandhurst (RMAS) is where all officers in the British Army are trained to take on the responsibility of leading their soldiers.

The exercise was believed to be a three-day mission designed to develop and assess command, control, leadership and teamwork.

A Welsh Ambulance Service spokesperson said it was called shortly before 5.30pm and sent three rapid response vehicles, three emergency ambulances and a duty operations manager to the scene.