MCMILLAN COMMENTS ON COASTGUARD MEETING

SNP MSP Stuart McMillan has today [Wednesday] said that the UK government’s current proposals to close the Clyde coastguard station are threatening lives.

The Tory-Lib plans will see the Greenock MRCC closed in the next four years with responsibility for the busy and extensive waters being divvied up between centres at Belfast and Stornoway.

At a meeting in Greenock today campaigners pledged to continue their fight to keep Scotland's busiest coastguard station open.

There will now be a further rally in Greenock on September 24 as the opposition to the planned cut gains momentum.

Mr McMillan said:

“I got involved in politics to try and help people, not to put peoples’ lives into danger, and putting peoples’ lives into danger is exactly what the UK government proposals will do if the cuts are made.

“I wonder if the people behind these proposals have looked into the possible loss of lives when there is a delay when there is a call out from Belfast or Stornoway?

“What impact will a boat or helicopter taking an extra five minutes have on stranded people’s lives?

“What if that delay is 10 minutes - or half an hour?

“Nobody has been told these things but what is certain is that lives will be lost if Clyde Coastguard is allowed to be lost.

“And there is no substitute for local knowledge. Not only will the teams from the other centres be stretched if they have to look after Clyde’s huge and busy area but they won’t know the coastline the way the team here do.”