Lives could be lost as high levels of silt at Arbroath harbour mean the town’s lifeboat is unable to launch at low tide, it has been claimed.
The harbour has not been dredged for more than 18 months, since Angus Council has failed to find a replacement for a dredging contract that ended in December 2010.
Since then the silt has accumulated affecting the RNLI station’s slipway and also the harbour entrance.
In an emergency at low tide, the main lifeboat, the Inchcape, is unable to launch meaning the station would call reinforcements from lifeboat stations in Broughty Ferry and Montrose, costing valuable time.
The station’s smaller vessel, the Duncan Ferguson, a D-class inshore lifeboat, would be able to be dragged over the mud by the volunteer crew to take to sea but this has limited range and space for only three crew members and less equipment.
Councillors are to discuss the problem on Monday and RNLI Arbroath’s mechanic Allan Russell told The Courier of the potentially life-threatening situation.
Mr Russell warned: ”We need the harbour dredged urgently. It’s not been done for 18 months and the silt just builds up and builds up.
”The silt levels mean that we’d have to call in vessels from other stations in an emergency at low tide, which costs time. There will be a life-and-death situation if we don’t get launched.”
For six years the dredging work at Arbroath and the navigation channel has been carried out by the Shearwater, a dredger owned by Moray Council, at a cost of £40,000 a year.
However, the contract with Moray Council ended in December 2010 and has subsequently been decommissioned.
Angus Council had set aside a sum of £150,000 for a three-year dredging contract which was put out to tender but the lowest tender submitted was for £690,000.
In a report to councillors, director of infrastructure services Eric Lowson says: “This accumulation has now reached the extent that prevents the RNLI lifeboat from launching from the slipway at low spring tide … Works are now required to address this accumulation of approximately 3,000m of sandy silt and roads division officers have investigated and considered possible short-term solutions.”
Arbroath’s lifeboat was in action this week, when its inshore lifeboat was launched on Tuesday evening following reports of a female in potential danger around the Ness area of the town’s cliffs.
Crew were already at the station undertaking a training course which meant they were able to launch immediately. At the scene, the crew established that the situation was under control.