A coastguard team that resigned en-masse over red tape returned to duty yesterday after resolving its row with the Maritime and Coastguard Agency.
The seven volunteer members of Durness Coastguard search and rescue team – with more than 100 years of service between them – quit two weeks ago because they were no longer even allowed to set off smoke flares.
Two days later, their pick-up rescue truck was driven away and the locks to their station changed by MCA bosses, leaving the men unable to retrieve their personal belongings.
The unit has saved many lives over the years – often being involved in perilous cliff rescues, overnight searches scouring wild terrain for missing people and even discovering the body of murder victim Margaret McOnie in 1989.
They also helped deal with the biggest mass stranding of pilot whales in Scotland, and manned helicopter landing sites to transfer patients needing emergency hospital treatment.
The loss of the unit meant that the nearest coastguard team was more than 18 miles away at Kinlochbervie – which is only partially operational itself – and Melness, nearly 30 miles away.
But after Peter Mizen, the MCA’s head of coastal operations, and another top coastguard met with the team in Durness on Monday, the row was sorted out.
“Senior members of HM Coastguard have been meeting with the Durness Coastguard Rescue Team. All the outstanding issues have been resolved and the team will be back online today,” said a statement from the MCA.
The mass resignations at Durness were sparked when station officer Alex Morrison quit. The rest of the team – also fed up with health and safety requirements – followed in support.
Mr Morrison said at the time: “We were not even deemed competent to let off an orange smoke signal for helicopter landings. I have been doing that stuff for 37 years.
“But we were waiting and waiting to be trained under the new programme and be certified. We were waiting on several occasions over the year for training with the helicopter.
“A few months ago we were promised a video on the helicopter landing operation which would make us competent, but that never arrived.
“The last straw was the orange smoke regulation. It was for things we have been doing for years and saving many lives over that time.”
Fellow coastguard Scott Macpherson, 35, who is also chairman of Durness Community Council, said yesterday: “The team is returning to duty. All the outstanding issues have been resolved to our satisfaction.”
