By Sarah Newstead

Last updated 09:20, Friday, 10 October 2008

SILLOTH’S lifeboat crew has joined the call for rescue equipment to be returned to Burgh by Sands.

At a meeting in Anthorn on Tuesday, residents unanimously backed the campaign to bring back the rescue boat which was removed in July by HM Coastguard.

The 20-year-old vessel, based at the Solway village, was taken away because it does not meet safety standards. The Government has indicated it will not be replaced.

Eddie Studholme, of Silloth RNLI, told the Neighbourhood Forum meeting his crew “do not support in any way the removal of the rescue boat”.

The Burgh by Sands rescue boat covers the area from Metal Bridge to Dubmill Point and is managed by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA). It has seen 35 call-outs since 2002 and is manned by a volunteer team of 10 local people.

Although the Silloth RNLI team also cover the area, the larger hulled lifeboats can have difficulty accessing parts of the inner Solway due to the mudflats exposed by low tides.

Mr Studholme said: “We only need 2ft 9ins of water, but if there’s no water we can’t get out there.”

It was suggested that a small boat or jet ski capable of being pulled over mudflats into shallow water channels would make sensible replacements for the Burgh by Sands boat.

John Collier, district and county councillor for the area, said: “The thing that is really upsetting is there was no consultation at all. We tried to find out through various means what had caused [the removal of the boat] but hit blank walls.

“I do hope there’s no loss of life because of this. That would be the utmost tragedy.”

Duncan Fairburn, county councillor for Bowness, added that rescue boats in Scotland are also under threat, and he pledged to write to all MPs and MSPs in affected constituencies. “Let’s see if we can generate some momentum,” he said.

Carlisle City Council and Cumbria County Council have backed the campaign to re-instate the boat which was involved in crucial rescue efforts during the floods of January 2005.