Thousands demand rethink of coastguard centre closures

• The Stornoway Coastguard helicopter which would be affected under the proposals

The UK Government is consulting on its plan to slash the number of maritime rescue co-ordination centres from 18 to eight in the UK.

Under the plans, Aberdeen is the only coastguard station in Scotland to be spared from the cuts, while a second station would operate during daylight hours only, in either Shetland or Stornoway.

One petition, from the Outer Hebrides, has around 15,000 names and the other petition, from Shetland, has 13,000 names.

The list was delivered by MPs from across all parties, councillors and lifeguards.

SNP Westminster transport spokesman Angus MacNeil, MP for the Western Isles, warned that "lives would be put at risk" unless the UK Government rethought its proposals.

Mr MacNeil said: "Maritime safety, not financial savings, should be the driving force behind any review. And the size of this petition underlines public concern.

"These Tory proposals are unjustifiable and would leave Scotland with just 25% of the co-ordination centres in the UK despite accounting for 60% of the sea area. In anyone's book, that spells danger.

"With ever-increasing activity on Scotland's seas through oil and gas, offshore renewables, fishing and tourism there are real concerns over the UK Government's ability to manage the coastguard service.

"The UK is making really bad decisions for coastguard services in Scotland, which raise real safety concerns. We should make better decisions in Scotland and not leave it to London."

Members of Western Isles and Shetland Islands councils and representatives from each of the coastguard stations took the petition to Number 10.

They were joined by Shadow Scottish Secretary Ann McKechin, who said: "The number of people who have signed this petition is staggering and shows the strength of feeling against the station closures.

"The sooner the Tory-led Government wake up to the fact that their proposals pose a serious risk to safety around the Scottish coastline and could cost lives, the better.

"The UK Government has handled this issue appallingly from the start and must now end the cruel limbo they have subjected communities to not just in Stornoway and Shetland but communities across Scotland and in Greenock and Fife too."