Following fears over the cutting of Coastguard stations across the UK by the Government, it’s been announced today that the Southampton/Portsmouth area will have a 24-hour centre.
Two further 24-hour centres at Aberdeen and Dover will be supplemented by a further five sub-centres which will only be open during daylight hours – Swansea, Falmouth in Cornwall, Humber, either Belfast or Liverpool, and either Stornoway or Shetland.
More details in the Minister statement.
Search and rescue helicopters
Concerns that the UK’s search and rescue helicopters, currently run by the RAF, would be sold-off and privatised have been suspended.
Secretary of State for Transport, Mr Philip Hammond, today also announced that, “the preferred bidder has informed the Ministry of Defence within the last 48 hours that it has become aware of a possible issue in connection with its bid to provide the UK Search and Rescue capability, which was the basis of its selection as the preferred bidder as announced in February 2010.”
He continued, “In the circumstances it is not appropriate for us to proceed with the planned announcement until the status of this issue has been clarified. ”
Image: Robby Norman
