THE Barrow MP is calling on the Government to act to enable coastguards to response faster ​to incidents.

The MP for Barrow and Furness, Simon Fell, has written to the Minister of State for Transport, the Government department which looks after the Coastal and Maritime Agency that governs HM Coastguard, to ask them to review a law that, if implemented the way the MP would like, could make coastguard response times faster.

The MP is taking the action after visiting Furness Coastguard at the weekend for a tour of their base, and to present the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee medals to the crew members.

Under the current law, HM Coastguard Crew are not permitted to drive in the same fashion as other emergency services despite having their blue lights on.

Citing the importance of rapid response in a search and rescue emergency, Simon Fell is hoping that the government will change the law, to allow HM Coastguard crews the same blue light beacon rights as other emergency services.

Mr Fell said: “When it comes to the nature of the coastguard’s emergency response, minutes matter.

“Not being able to drive in the same way as paramedics, police officers, and firefighters when responding to an emergency costs valuable minutes when the coastguard are called out.”

Mr Fell said that during a recent visit to Furness Coastguard, he was made aware that speed monitoring devices are fitted to coastguard vehicles, to monitor driving under blue light beacons.

Mr Fell said: “Indeed, I believe that speed limiters have recently been fitted to vehicles, meaning that they must observe the speed limit when blue lights are on.

“This results in the very strange sight of vehicles pulling into the side of the road to allow the coastguard to pass when their lights are on and then falling into convoy behind them as they continue to drive at 30, or even 20, miles per hour as per the speed limit in the area.

“Quite rightly, the station officer at Barrow tells me that ‘minutes matter’ when responding to a call to search for someone stuck in quick sand, or having got themselves stuck out at sea and cut off by rising tides. Unfortunately the current restrictions are preventing them from gaining as many minutes as they would like.”

The MP has asked the Government to review the law so that coastguards can drive with the same blue light rights as other emergency services.