Collecting signatures at Burry Port
Burry Port’s Deputy Mayor Mary Wenman and Councillor Moira Thomas have joined forces with Nia Griffith MP, Keith Davies AM and supporters of the Save Swansea Coastguard Campaign to collect signatures for the petition to keep Swansea Coastguard station open.
Back in the Spring local campaigners were horrified at the original proposals to close Swansea Coastguard station at night and handle calls from Southampton, and the government has now agreed that moving the service at night is not on, but instead have come up with a devastating plan to close one out of every two stations around the UK coast, and in this area, they are now proposing to keep open Milford Haven but to close down completely the much busier Swansea Coastguard Station which covers an area from Carmarthen Bay, all round to Gloucester and North Devon.
Nia Griffith MP said,
“Eliminating one out of every two is what you do on a TV games show, and it is no way to treat our coastguard stations. We need the full network of stations, Swansea and Milford Haven, with their detailed knowledge of the ever-changing local conditions and Welsh place names. This local knowledge is vital to saving valuable minutes, and every minute counts in an emergency situation, and can mean the difference between life and death. We must fight this closure programme all the way; the public are clear about this – they want a comprehensive local coastguard service, so that wherever they are, near home or on holiday, they can have confidence that if they get into difficulty, the local expertise will be there to co-ordinate the rescue.”
Please help by responding to the consultation which can be accessed via www.saveswanseacoastguard.co.uk by 6th October.