Masca could now face the bill for the mobilisation of the emergency services.

Because of the difficult location and the very strong winds, the emergency helicopter could not land so rescue crews had to go out on foot and stretcher the victim to safety.

In a controversial move, the Canary Islands’ Government intends to start charging for any incidents which are deemed to have been caused by the individual’s own recklessness. That could be ignoring warning signs, risks or bad weather predictions, exploring dangerous caves or cliffs, not wearing the right clothing or being unprepared, using the wrong equipment etc.

One case already under dispute is the rescue of two British adventurers trying to cross the Atlantic after they got into difficulty 110 miles from El Hierro. They could face costs of 12,000 euros after emergency services described their attempt in a pedalo-style boat as “madness”.