Rescue crew fighting restrictions

The Hope Cove crew say their boat is safe but bosses disagree

A rescue boat crew under restrictions at a Devon harbour is taking its fight to the government to be reinstated.

The coastguard vessel at Hope Cove is "perfectly safe" according to the crew and the restrictions on the distance it can be used risks lives, they say.

But the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) has said that the inflatable boat is not safe to use.

Two lifeboat crews and MP Anthony Steen will meet Transport Under Secretary of State Jim Fitzpatrick on Monday.

'Rubber duck' boat

The MCA said that its priority was the safety of its crew members and that since the RNLI introduced its boat in Salcombe in 2003, the need for the Hope Cove vessel in a support role had diminished.

The MCA also said that an RNLI boat at nearby Bantham could get to Hope Cove in six minutes, but the Hope Cove crew disagrees.

Mr Steen said: "I will be seeking assurances from the minister as to who will respond in an emergency at Hope Cove when the Bantham boat, a rubber-duck surf boat, has limited operational capabilities and the Salcombe boat takes 25 minutes to reach Hope Cove."

The MCA said in a statement that it was still consulting locally about the lifeboat's future.

A decision would be made "in due course".