Crew shortage leaves lifeboat station in doubt

Crew numbers have fallen at the lifeboat station

The future of an RNLI lifeboat station on the Isle of Harris is in doubt due to a lack of crew members.

The local management group and volunteer crew at Leverburgh said it was with "deep regret" that they had made the decision to withdraw from an RNLI station trial at the base.

The site was restarted on a trial basis in 2021 following a period of closure and initially had a healthy number of crew and support staff.

RNLI head of region, Jill Hepburn, said it would engage with a range of groups before any decision on the future of the Leverburgh station was taken.

The management group said a number of "unforeseen factors" had led to the decision to withdraw from the trial at the end of the summer season.

It said those included changes in life circumstances and relocation which had seen crew levels fall.

It added that numbers had almost halved, making a 24/7 on-call service difficult and, in some cases, "unobtainable".

RNLI Leverburgh in Harris was established in 2012, but in November 2019 operations were suspended after difficulties retaining a crew.

Following a two-year consultation on its future, it was able to continue with a smaller lifeboat.

The RNLI's Atlantic 85 lifeboat - which has operated from the station for the past four years - has been called out on 23 occasions.

The RNLI described the decision to withdraw from the trial as a "huge disappointment".

It said it would consult with others - including search and rescue partners - before any final decision was made on the future of the site.