TWO potholers from Oxford University had to be rescued after becoming trapped nearly 250ft underground beneath a Spanish mountain range.

The pair, Rosa Clements, 26, and Nicholas Edwards, 23, who were on an expedition with Oxford University Cave Club, waited three hours for a mountain rescue team to release them after the rope they were using was accidentally pulled out of their reach.

They had spent 10 days underground exploring the labyrinth beneath the Picos de Europa mountain range along Spain’s north coast on the Bay of the Biscay.

The group had hoped to reach the bottom of the 3,000ft labyrinth, but started their ascent on Sunday morning after managing to get 2,300ft down.

Mr Edwards and Ms Clements became trapped when the team member in front of them dragged the rope they were using out of their reach as he climbed up to the surface.

A specialist potholing team from the mountain rescue service was scrambled to the scene by helicopter after the alarm was raised.

A mountain rescue service spokesman said: “It took three hours because we did not know what kind of situation we would find when we reached them.

“We had to prepare for any possibility and it took time to get all the equipment we might have needed together.

“As it was, once we got to the scene, it only took about 45 minutes to get them out.”

The pair were uninjured, but are recovering from exhaustion.