Mountain rescuers looking for two climbers missing for a week on Ben Nevis aim to step up the search as the weather improves.

Rachel Slater, 24, and 27-year-old Tim Newton, from Bradford, West Yorkshire, failed to return from an outing on Britain's highest mountain last weekend.

A 26-strong search team braved severe sub-zero temperatures, high winds and snow on Saturday as they searched the peak.

But they ruled out any searches on Sunday due to "increasingly hazardous weather" and a high risk of avalanches.

Lochaber Mountain Rescue Team spokesman Miller Harris said: "We intend to try and step up searches as the week goes on and we're calling in assistance from other mountain rescue teams."

The team aims to carry out searches most days this week and has asked climbers to share any information they have.

"We would ask anyone who plans to climb on the Ben this week to post on our Facebook page the areas they were climbing and the routes done. This will help us eliminate parts of the mountain," they added.

Mr Newton was a member of Hinckley Mountaineering Club in Leicestershire before moving away to university.

Ms Slater is a graduate of Manchester University and is employed as an environmental consultant near Bradford. She spent some time living and climbing in Canada, where her parents still live.

Their families have praised the overwhelming response from members of the public and the climbing community.

Meanwhile, two hillwalkers were found "cold and desolate" on Ben Nevis over the weekend.

Lochaber MRT sent a small team to look for the walkers, who reported that they were lost on Ben Nevis summit on Saturday night before going quiet. The pair were eventually found in the summit shelter and walked safely off the mountain.