A group trying to raise money for an important charity, managed to annoy conservationists and mountaineers alike by taking a bench to the summit Ben Nevis and securing it in cement.

It was supposed to be a resting place for weary climbers. However one mountaineer was so angered by the intrusive presence of the item of garden furniture 4,409ft above sea level that he sawed it into 27 pieces and carried it back down the UK's highest mountain.

The four men responsible also left behind the wooden poles used to carry the bench. They had been raising money for the Children's Hospice Association Scotland (Chas), who were not aware they had planned to leave the bench permanently at the summit.

As part of its Ben Nevis Estate the wild land charity the John Muir Trust (JMT) looks after the summit which is visited by 100,000 climbers a year. It maintains the footpaths and collects litter.

A JMT spokesman said members there had been an amicable discussion with the fundraisers.

He said: "Essentially, it was a bunch of young guys doing a charity event and they never really thought there was anything wrong with it. We got in touch and they agreed they would remove the bench, but it has already gone so the young guys have said they will go up there at the weekend to remove the cement."