THE campaign to save St Abbs Lifeboat station from closure has stepped up a gear with the launch of a dedicated website.

RNLI has announced that the site in St Abbs will be closed by the end of the summer and an inshore boat added to the station at Eyemouth.

Local MSP John Lamont is calling for RNLI to consider delaying the closure for another year, particularly as from April 2015 it is no longer paying VAT, a saving of around £2.5m each year.

A petition to save the station has attracted around 4,000 signatures.

Mr Lamont MSP said: “Our lifeboat crews on the Berwickshire coast are made up of many brave men and women who risk their lives to save others.

“The launch of this new website, alongside the petition which has attracted 4,000 signatures, shows the strength of the feeling amongst local residents that the station needs to be retained.

“I understand RNLI’s temptation to remove this service with Eyemouth station so closeby.

"However, it is clear the St Abbs station provides an invaluable and lifesaving service to divers and other water sports enthusiasts. Clearly, thousands of people agree that closing the station will put lives at risk and put people off coming to St Abbs to dive.” Mr Lamont added: “The RNLI has just been given a tax relief worth around £2.5million annually. I’d hope that these savings can be put to good use to protect frontline services. Delaying this decision for another year will allow these savings to come through and may mean RNLI is in a position to retain the station.”