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Thousands sign petition to save Coastguard station

Mon, 31 Oct 2011

A petition to try to save Liverpool Coastguard station has been handed to the UK parliament.

The government in the United Kingdom is looking to close the facility in the next few years.

The announcement caused concern for some people in the Isle of Man as the station provides support and back-up for some of the sea rescues carried out near to the Island.

51,000 people signed the petition in total - around 5,000 of these were from the Isle of Man.

One person from Port St Mary who submitted a comment said they sail regularly and they feel a lot safer for Liverpool coastguard being there.

Another petitioner says it's very important service for Manx divers.

The Manx authorities have offered assurance that the impact of the closure will be minimal.

They say the Marine Operations Centre in Douglas handles 80% of incidents itself and this will go up to 95% when the facility in Liverpool closes.

Any back-up that is needed would come from either Belfast or Holyhead Coastguards in future.

 

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