Row after coastguard boat rescue

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Crews have been told the boat is not safe

A coastguard boat has been locked up after local volunteers ignored advice and tried to save a teenager who had been swept out to sea.

The Hope Cove crew had been told by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) to wait for the RNLI's Salcombe lifeboat as its boat had failed a safety check.

But the volunteers chose to ignore the instruction and went to help save a girl who was caught in a riptide.

The MCA has taken the boat to Kingsbridge where it is in storage.

A spokesperson said the boat was suspended from operational duty in June 2008 because it was not safe to use.

Safety is being compromised Dave Clarke, former deputy chief station officer

Chief Coastguard Rod Johnson said the Hope Cove vessel was not a first line rescue unit, but a general purpose boat with rescue capabilities as an additional facility.

"Over the past few weeks we've [MCA] discovered issues regarding the boat's fitness for purpose, so it's been locked off," he said.

But Dave Clarke, who has volunteered for the unit for 37 years, before retiring a few months ago as the deputy chief station officer, said it was "health and safety gone mad".

He told BBC News lives could be put unnecessarily at risk if a similar situation arose in the area and they had to wait for the Salcombe inshore lifeboat to arrive.

"Safety is being compromised," he said.

"A 20 to 30-minute delay would make one hell of a difference."

Village protest

The crew said repairs had been carried out to the boat's hull and, in its opinion, was seaworthy.

However, Mr Johnson said repairs had to be properly supervised.

"While I commend my guys for their enthusiasm in having a go at it, it's not the way we maintain equipment," he said.

"We are an emergency service and we do things to the highest professional standards."

People living in the village have launched a protest petition and complained to their MP Anthony Steen.