AN ENTIRE South Devon coastal community has come together to tell coastguard bosses: 'Hands off our rescue boat'.

Parish councils, villagers, sailors, former and serving coastguard officers, harbour officials and at least one police officer all pleaded with the Marine Coastguard Agency to abandon plans to axe their rescue boat based at Hope Cove.

Between them they declared the boat and its highly-trained local crew are a vital link in the rescue services covering the Bigbury Bay area.

And they warned that without it lives would be lost and the area's tourist industry could be badly hit as sailors and other visitors become concerned that the coastal waters are unprotected.

Dave Clarke, chairman of the Harbour Commissioners at Hope Cove, warned lives were already being put at risk because of the restrictions currently imposed on the Hope Cove rescue boat.

He added: "If it is not considered fit for purpose then the coastguard or some other agency should provide a boat that is."

The MCA is currently going through a consultation exercise over its search-and-rescue provision in the South West which includes the possible axing of both its Hope Cove and River Tamar rescue boats.

The Hope Cove boat was at the centre of a major controversy 18 months ago following a row with the MCA after the boat was launched without permission to save a girl swimmer in trouble 200 yards off the village beach.

First, the MCA temporarily confiscated the boat, then limited the area in which the boat could mount rescues, then announced it was looking at phasing it out altogether.

More than 100 people crowded into the school hall at Kingsbridge Community College for the MCA consultation meeting where they unanimously called for the boat to the saved.

Sally Hammond, part of the Bigbury coastguard search-and-rescue team, pointed out that the Hope Cove boat can respond to calls in half the time it takes the Salcombe Lifeboat to get to the Bigbury Bay area.

"Half the time in very, very cold water is a very long time," she said.

And Hope Cove villager Peter Maddicks warned that if the Hope Cove boat is withdrawn people will end up putting their lives at risk by trying to carry out rescues themselves rather than watch someone drown while waiting for a lifeboat to come from further afield.