Councillor threatens to report state of three coastguard stations

THE MARITIME and Coastguard Agency (MCA) could be reported to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) over the state of three Shetland coastguard stations.

Shetland South councillor Allison Duncan has threatened to make the complaint in response to the Sumburgh, Walls and Mid Yell stations having no working toilets or showers.

Duncan helped to report the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service to HSE in 2024 about the poor state of its fire stations in Walls and Bressay.

The Hillswick fire station was also reported to HSE as a matter of concern.

The state of the three coastguard stations has also previously been raised as a major concern for the MCA.

A meeting of the Shetland community safety and resilience board in November 2024 heard that the Sumburgh, Walls and Mid Yell stations had been identified by the MCA as needing improvements following a survey of its UK buildings.

The board’s chairman is Duncan, and he returned to the issue at its latest meeting on Wednesday.

“If there’s no significant progress there will be another letter to the Health and Safety Executive,” he told the meeting.

“This cannot continue.”

Duncan said coastguard personnel could not be expected to work from stations with no toilets or showers, adding that they provide “outstanding service to their communities”.

The South Mainland councillor also said that he and Northern Isles MP Alistair Carmichael wrote to the “various agencies” involved with failed plans to cut coastguard volunteer remuneration earlier this year.

The MCA had announced it would stop coastguard rescue volunteers from claiming around £11 per hour for call-outs and attending training exercises.

However the UK Government, which funds the MCA, paused the hugely unpopular plans in July.

Duncan said he would update the board at its November meeting about the letter.