Last day of operations as Clyde Coastguard closes

The UK government decided to close several coastguard stations under a modernisation plan

Clyde Coastguard will cease operations on Tuesday as it becomes the latest of eight stations to close under a UK government modernisation plan.

When it was fully operational, the Greenock facility employed 31 staff to oversee air and sea rescues from the Mull of Galloway to Ardnamurchan Point.

Its work has now been taken on by stations in Stornoway and Belfast.

The Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) has denied claims by critics that the shutdown will put lives at risk.

Speaking during a visit to Clyde Coastguard on Monday to thank station staff, MCA chief executive Sir Alan Massey, said: "I want to reassure the public that what we are doing will result in a better service.

"We are not going to be putting people at risk and we would not be going through with these changes if we thought they would threaten safety."

Committee criticism

Last month, Westminster's Scottish Affairs Committee published a report backing calls to save the station.

The committee said the closures would leave "a major gap in local knowledge" among the remaining maritime rescue co-ordination centres.

Sir Alan said: "I can completely understand where people are coming from, but first of all, our coastguards are highly professional people.

"We have been helping them with training, with briefings and with the transfer of that knowledge.

"For the past month we have had the teams from Belfast and Stornoway in place handling calls, with Clyde here as a kind of back stop."

He added that there had been "no issues at all" since Aberdeen took over responsibility for the Forth area, after Forth Coastguard closed in September.

Staff unhappy

Sir Alan said: "The staff have thought hard, and some thought, rather than stay, they have decided to stop their careers at this point.

"We have tried to find alternative jobs for all of them.

"I don't think anyone is particularly happy. Clyde has been under this threat of closure for a long time now.

"They have been extremely professional and hard-working, and I want to thank them for all they have done."

Westminster Transport Minister Stephen Hammond has previously stressed that safety remained the government's "top priority".

"Our reforms to modernise the coastguard will deliver a more resilient, fully-networked rescue co-ordination system benefiting all parts of the UK, including Scotland," he said.