Shortage of RAF air rescue crews

Two RAF Sea Kings are usually on 15-minute standby at Wattisham

A shortage of RAF rescue crews in Suffolk has led to a helicopter in Yorkshire providing cover for the area, the BBC has found.

Two RAF Sea Kings at Wattisham usually take off within 15 minutes of a call - and reach casualties within an hour.

But on 17 days in the summer, the nearest helicopter was more than an hour away in South Yorkshire - breaching response time guidelines.

It is understood the shortage is linked to crews being sent to Afghanistan.

Helicopters in Helmand Province have been in short supply.

It is just disgraceful... it is obviously somewhere up top, the MoD or the government cutting costs." Chairman of Caister Lifeboat, Paul Garrod

Up to 2006, the RAF Sea Kings at Wattisham had flown 2,000 operational sorties in 12 years - an average of nearly one every two days.

The Ministry of Defence (MoD) admitted there was pressure on the fleet, but said there was cover from RAF Leconfield in South Yorkshire on the days Wattisham was unavailable.

The MP for Bury St Edmunds, David Ruffley, whose constituency includes Wattisham, said he had written to the MoD with his concerns.

An MoD spokesman said the matter was under review.

'High-risk areas'

The criteria for search and rescue helicopter coverage, which was reviewed by the MoD and the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) in 2001, says the speed of response is directly linked to the chances of survival.

The review states: "A SAR (search and rescue) helicopter should be capable of reaching all... high-risk areas... within 60 minutes of take-off."

But on 17 days in July and August this year, rescue helicopters were not available at Wattisham and cover was provided from Leconfield.

However, the Leconfield aircraft would not have been able to reach all the areas covered normally by Wattisham within an hour of take off.

The MCA requests a helicopter in an emergency.

Paul Garrod, chairman of the independent Caister Lifeboat in Norfolk, said they needed the best support every time they put to sea.

He said: "It is just disgraceful. I am certainly not blaming the RAF. I am certainly not blaming the coastguards.

"It is obviously somewhere up top, the MoD or the government cutting costs."

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Lib Dem MP Bob Russell said military demands in Afghanistan have left the eastern region's air sea rescue service short of pilots.