CAMPAIGNERS travelled 450 miles to lobby the RNLI to save their lifeboat station.

They travelled from the fishing village of St Abbs, in the Scottish borders, with a 13,500-signature petition urging the Poole-based charity to change its mind.

The Save St Abbs Lifeboat Campaign has gained widespread support and the petition is backed by the Scottish and British Sub Aqua Clubs.

However, the station is due to close next week as part of wider cuts in the service and repair and maintenance costs at the site.

More than 40 MPs have signed an early day motion at Westminster to halt the cuts and a number of MSPs, including Scottish community safety minister and South of Scotland MSP Paul Wheelhouse, called for a rethink of the St Abbs closure.

They made the journey from Berwickshire to Poole to hand in the petition in person.

The service, which has operated there for more than 100 years, will be moved to Eyemouth two miles away.

Campaigner and resident Euan Gibson will go along with Paul Crowe and David Wilson, both of St Abbs Lifeboat and direct descendants of two of the original crew members of the first lifeboat.

Mr Gibson said: “The RNLI need to know the breadth and depth of opposition to this decision, with St Abbs being a hugely popular and busy UK diving destination.

“We feel this decision undermines the extraordinary work the unpaid voluntary crews do all round the UK, and we desperately hope delivery of the petition will force the RNLI to reconsider.”

A spokesman for the RNLI said: “We will receive the petitions. However, our decision to close the lifeboat station remains unchanged.

“The closure date is Tuesday, September 8, and we are finalising the details for the closure of the lifeboat station on that day.”

The spokesman said earlier that the charity was liaising with the RNLI volunteers to “determine the most appropriate method of closing the station and taking away the inshore lifeboat”.

He said: “St Abbs, which is only two nautical miles from the nearest RNLI lifeboat station at Eyemouth, will be covered by twolifeboats from Eyemouth. They D class lifeboat can be at St Abbs harbour in five to 10 minutes.”