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

It was supposed to be a resting place for weary climbers, but one mountaineer was so angered by its intrusive presence 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, which was not aware they had planned to leave the bench as a permanent feature at the summit.

The wild land charity the John Muir Trust looks after the summit, which is visited by 100,000 climbers a year. It maintains the footpaths and collects litter. A trust spokesman said 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."