SOUTH Dorset MP Richard Drax has written to the Transport Secretary asking for Portland Coastguard helicopter to be saved after it was called out a record eight times in one day.

He is keeping up the pressure after the aircraft was scrambled numerous times when the county was hit by unprecedented rainfall. The helicopter has also proved its worth in recent days, plucking sailors to safety who were stranded on a life-raft and it was also at the scene of the fatal landslip at Burton Bradstock.

The service is due to be axed in 2018 due to government budget cuts.

In his letter to Justine Greening, MP Drax said: “Our helicopter played a vital role, having its busiest day ever on Saturday, July 7, responding to eight emergencies – a record since its inception in 1995.”

Listing five of the eight rescues it was involved in Mr Drax wrote: “They highlight how important our airborne asset is.”