THERE is relief in Anglesey and Gwynedd after it was finally confirmed that the future of Holyhead coastguard is secure.
PCS Union branch secretary Ray Carson, who represents Coastguard staff, thanked the North Wales Chronicle and the public for their support.
“We’re delighted, but obviously it’s a hollow victory because we feel for our colleagues. However, the system has yet to be proven and I think that there’s a long way to go before we get station closures,” he said.
Shipping Minister Mike Penning confirmed that co-ordination centres will be closed at Swansea, Liverpool, Brixham, Clyde, Forth, Great Yarmouth, Liverpool, Portland and Walton-on-the-Naze.
Centres including Shetland and Stornoway will stay open, and there will be a new Maritime Operations Centre in Fareham, with a back-up at Dover.
The MCA excluded Holyhead from the list of stations to close in update proposals, but campigners feared that the station would be pitted against Liverpool in a fight for survival.
Mr Penning said that the move would give “better support for our coastguard volunteers” and “frontline rescue capabilities”.
Anglesey AM Ieuan Wyn Jones received hundreds of letters and phone calls opposing the Maritime Coastguard agency’s proposals to close the station in a of nationwide modernisation scheme.
“I am relieved that this long-drawn out battle to save Holyhead Coastguard Station now appears to be at an end and we can now look forward to our local coastguards continuing to provide this essential emergency service from a local base in Holyhead,” he said.
Anglesey MP Albert Owen added: “This was an acknowledgement of its strategic importance, and I thank all those who took part in the campaign to save the station.
“I put the case in Parliament and a common sense decision was made in the end as far as North Wales is concerned.”