Final plea for coastguards

CAMPAIGNERS opposed to cuts in the sea rescue service rallied outside one of Scotland’s busiest coastguard stations yesterday.

They marched through Greenock, on the Clyde, in a last effort to prevent the local centre closing. The coalition government plans to close Greenock, with the loss of 31 jobs, and move the service to Belfast.

Stuart McMillan, Nationalist MSP for the west of Scotland, made a “final plea” to the coalition not to close eight coastguard stations. It claims the move will modernise the service and save more than £7 million a year. The Forth station in Fife is also under threat.

Campaigners claim the closures will leave the coastguard with a lack of local knowledge and could put lives at risk.

McMillan said: “We can only hope Westminster pays attention to the specialist needs of our rugged coastline, which has some of the busiest waters for tourists and most significant shipping channels for trade anywhere in the UK.”