Cost of living: Hamble Lifeboat scales-back patrols due to rising fuel cost

A lifeboat service in Hampshire has announced it will scale-back its weekend patrols due to rising costs.

Hamble Lifeboat volunteers used to conduct regular patrols at weekends across Southampton Water and the rivers Hamble, Itchen and Test.

The service said it would be on standby from a single location in the Solent in a bid to cut its diesel consumption.

It has confirmed it will still respond to emergencies but without action could faces a 50% increase in fuel bills.

A spokesman said the change to routine operations was needed because they feared the service's average fuel bill of £11,000 a year could double due to the rising cost of fuel.

Coxswain Paul Ackland said the number of volunteers and the amount of hours they spent volunteering had remained the same.

The service was launched in the 1960s and like all independent lifeboat services it relies on donations and fundraising.

"The fuel increase is going to hit us. Our fundraising is going to be particularly tight this year," Mr Ackland said.

The service needs to raise about £60,000 a year to cover its running costs.

Trustee Gary Duke said the service had saved 14 lives in the past year.

"It's a big impact if we were not here," he added.

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