Valentia campaigns to protect coastguard

Renewed plans to close the Valentia Coast Guard Station in Co Kerry and shift its operations to Dublin are being stoutly resisted.

The threat to the station, one of the busiest in the country, has come as a shock to south Kerry, which believed a similar plan to axe Valentia under the previous government had been seen off.

Hundreds of thousands of euro worth of new radio and communications equipment are to be installed next month in the island station, and a new helipad is also on the cards. The station’s main operations room is being upgraded and other rooms have been prepared to host the equipment for a new automated service.