THE fight to save the Portland Coastguard Helicopter service is not over for MP Richard Drax, who has written to the Transport Secretary over the decision to axe it.

As reported in the Echo, MP Justine Greening dealt a devastating blow to Dorset when she wrote to Mr Drax confirming that the contract would not be renewed in 2017.

Miss Greening said: “I remain convinced that the closure of Portland will not increase the overall risk of loss of life in the UK search and rescue region.”

In response, South Dorset MP Richard Drax has asked for a copy of ‘the analysis and methodology, plus the data and assumptions’ that led to the decision.

He wrote: “You cannot fly a helicopter further, for longer, for free.”