A national charity has ordered a safety review of its adventure courses after one of its groups had to be rescued from a flooding cave.

The review will look into why two experienced instructors took a group of teenagers underground during heavy rain – forcing a major rescue.

Twelve people – eight of them youngsters on a Prince’s Trust trip – were trapped in rising water at Lower Long Churn Caves, near Ingleton, earlier this month.

The charity’s review is likely to focus on why the activity went ahead despite Met Office weather warnings.

Although everyone got out safely, the Clapham-based Cave Rescue Organisation (CRO), which led the rescue, criticised the instructors for taking the youngsters down.Duty controller Dave Gallivan said their actions had been foolhardy.

The teenagers were on the Prince’s Trust “Team” programme which works with disadvantaged youngsters to develop skills and confidence.

A trust spokesman said: “The health and safety of our young people is paramount in all of our programmes and we work with trained professionals to run our outdoor activities. We are pleased that all of the young people returned safe and well but we are reviewing this situation to ensure every aspect of the planning and delivery of the programme meets with the very high standards we demand.”

The trip was arranged in conjunction with Oldham-based Groundwork, which was responsible for the delivery of the Team programme, and Malhamdale outdoor pursuits company Rough Edges, which was responsible for the caving trip.