Great Yarmouth Port Chaplain fights coastguard cuts

Great Yarmouth’s Port Chaplain has backed coastguards in their fight to stop savage government cuts - describing the plans as “ludicrous”.

The Rev Peter Paine (right), port chaplain for 10 years, spoke out against the proposal to close 10 coastguard stations, including Yarmouth’s, with only two, in Aberdeen and Southampton, continuing to provide a 24-hour service.

He said: “From my point of view it is quite simple. Local knowledge is paramount and local knowledge from Aberdeen and Southampton is absolutely useless.

“With the North Sea as busy as it is, to do away with night stations around here is ludicrous. How many lives will we have to lose to spell it out.”

The Rev Paine, whose previous RAF career was in air sea rescue, described Yarmouth’s sea-going community as “like a big wheel with the coastguard at the centre of the hub”.

He highlighted the important role Yarmouth’s North Quay coastguards had played in co-ordinating emergency services after the offshore helicopter crash in 2002, the biggest tragedy in recent years.

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