THE future remains uncertain for the Portland Coastguard station despite a rethink on controversial plans to close more than half the coastguard stations around Britain.

That is the message from South Dorset MP Richard Drax who spoke amid speculation that Transport Secretary Philip Hammond has decided to redesign the planned overhaul after an outcry from coastal communities.

Mr Drax has revealed that along with Weymouth and Portland Borough Council and others, he has written to the Secretary of State calling for the south’s coastguard supercentre to be built in the borough and not the Solent.

Mr Drax warned that Portland Coastguard was still at risk and said: “While it’s thought that the coastguard overhaul is going to be changed around, I don’t think it takes us much further in the sense that the consultation has been extended.

“Philip Hammond has said whatever the government does it won’t be what we originally said we would get.

“But what he hasn’t said is that we’re not going to do anything.

“I fear that Portland Coastguard is still very much being looked at especially if the big supercentre for the coastguard is based at Solent – because of the proximity.

“Weymouth and Portland Borough Council and I and others have submitted an application to the Secretary of State saying that Weymouth should be the home of the supercentre.

A Department for Transport spokesman said: “We will not comment on speculation about the outcome of our consultation.

“Our proposals are in response to a long-overdue need to bring the way coastguard rescues are co-ordinated into the 21st century, making this vital rescue service stronger, more resilient and improving its services on the front line.

“This need will not simply go away, but this is a genuine consultation exercise and the government is committed to taking all points of view into account before deciding how best to proceed.”

Planned cuts to the coastguard service would save £20million by the end of the current Parliament and £210million over the next 25 years.

There are currently 19 regional coastguard stations but under new government plans 10 coastguard stations around the UK would close by 2015 and two new coastguard supercentres would be created, one at Aberdeen to serve the north and one at either Southampton or Portsmouth to serve the south.

It has now been claimed that a centralisation plan to replace the abandoned local stations with two national centres has also been scrapped and that there will now only be one national centre.

Final details of the reforms are expected to be published before the government’s summer recess.

A borough council spokesman said: “The council made representations to keep the coastguard office last December and subsequently submitted a case for the borough host a major coastguard base if this was the outcome.

“This would provide a continued coastguard service and bring significant regeneration and economic benefits to the area