UPDATE | Lifeboat project may need its own rescue fear locals

UPDATE Lifeboat Station 12/09/2019

It will not have gone unnoticed that there has been an issue with the construction of the new Southport Lifeboat Station currently being built on Marine Drive.

The Southport Offshore Rescue Trust would like to take this opportunity to offer our supporters an update on the progress of the build.

Unfortunately, the steel frame corrosion protection system originally applied to the construction was not up to the specification requested by the Southport Offshore Rescue Trust.

As a result, the original paintwork has had to be stripped back and a new system applied.

Due to the location of the building and the high levels of salt in the air, this has been a slow process that has often been effected by the weather conditions.

We have been working closely with our principal contractor and paint experts to ensure that a solution is found that meets our requirement.

Unfortunately this has led to a significant delay in the completion of the build, however we believe that the completed building, funded entirely by public donations, should be correct and not at the expense of quality.

Whilst this has been a frustrating time for everyone at Southprt Lifeboat, we are optimistic that visible progress will be made onsite soon.

In the meantime, our contractor has been carrying out other work onsite such as the installation of utilities and the construction of the emergency vehicle entrance on to Marine Drive in order to minimise further delay.

Contrary to publicised reports, there have been no health and safety or funding issues involved in causing the delay.

We would like to thank our supporters for their patience and continued support.

Fears are growing over the future of the brand new lifeboat house after reports began circulating that work has stopped.

Construction workers haven’t been seen on site for weeks and road closures in place for heavy duty vehicles have failed to materialise.

Read more: Construction due to begin on £1.4million station for Southport Independent Lifeboat

Rumours began swirling in early August that some materials used in the build may be below safety standards and have caused significant delays in construction due to health and safety fears.