New Quay lifeboat removal plan suspended until 2021

The New Quay lifeboat will remain on station until the next cost review in 2021

Plans to remove Ceredigion's only all-weather lifeboat have been suspended.

In June 2017, the RNLI announced plans to remove New Quay's Mersey class lifeboat with a smaller inshore one.

Campaigners said it would leave a 70-mile gap across Ceredigion. At the time, a petition against its removal reached over 10,000 signatures.

The RNLI had said the decision was the result of a five-year coast review, but now says it will be the subject of a further review in 2021.

The lifeboat charity said the decision had proved to be "deeply unpopular" and the Welsh Fishermen's Association claimed it would put lives at risk.

An RNLI spokesperson said: "I can confirm that the Mersey will remain on station until the next Cardigan Bay Coast Review in 2021."

The Ceredigion Lifeboat Campaign, which was formed in July 2017 to challenge the RNLI's decision, said it "welcomed" the news.

"However, we must stress that this is no more than a one year extension and, at present, it remains the RNLI's intention to downgrade lifeboat capability when the boat is withdrawn, so our campaign continues.

"We remain committed to this objective and we will continue to build a case for the retention of all-weather lifeboat capability beyond 2021.

"The door is no longer locked but we need the public's help to push the door wide open and demand a thorough and open review in 2021."