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Work to begin on Exmouth lifeboat station’s roof

Lifeboats News Release

Work to replace the roof at Exmouth RNLI’s lifeboat station will start this week (Thursday 18 July) with scaffolding and a site compound installed, before construction work to enhance the insulation and replace the copper roofing begins.

RNLI

Exmouth RNLI lifeboat station

The station and lifeboats will remain fully operational throughout the work which is expected to take around five months.

Fencing to enclose a safe site compound around the building will begin to be installed from Thursday (18 July) by contractors Full Metal Jacket Ltd, followed by scaffolding to enable contractors to access the roof.

The building will be fully encased to protect it from the elements while the old roof is removed and new structural deck and insulation is installed, before the new copper roofing is laid and fixed in place.

The compound fencing will cut off pedestrian access around the front of the station, but those walking past, along the seafront at Exmouth, will be able to follow a diversion around the back of the station to rejoin the route. Access from the beach via the RNLI’s launch ramp and the stairwell adjacent will also be prohibited. Pedestrian access from the beach will be via two sets of stairs, 50 metres to the west of the station.

Ian Taylor, Exmouth RNLI Lifeboat Operations Manager says;

‘Because the work being done is mainly external, the station and our volunteers will continue to operate as normal throughout. While closed to pedestrians, the scaffolding has been designed to ensure both the all-weather Shannon class lifeboat, and the station’s D class can launch as they usually would.

As our usual parking spaces will be enclosed within the compound, we’re very grateful to East Devon District Council for organising emergency crew parking in Maer Road car park for the duration of the work.

The RNLI shop will also remain open and accessible via its existing entrance off Queen’s Drive, and lifeboat station visits will continue but access will be via the station doors at the back of the building.’

The work is expected to take around five months with the aim to have it complete before the bad weather moves in.

Peter Morgan, RNLI Regional Estates Manager says;

‘The work to the roof follows emergency repairs in November 2022 to fix a series of leaks, at the same time the RNLI undertook a series of investigations which uncovered some issues with the roof, most notably some of the underside fixings on the roof had corroded.

We’ve since been working with the station to enable a permanent solution to replace the roof and use the opportunity to enhance the insulation in the roof, aiming to save energy and money in the long term.

It’s great to see the work getting underway.’

Key facts about the RNLI

The RNLI charity saves lives at sea. Its volunteers provide a 24-hour search and rescue service around the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland coasts. The RNLI operates 238 lifeboat stations in the UK and Ireland and more than 240 lifeguard units on beaches around the UK and Channel Islands. The RNLI is independent of Coastguard and government and depends on voluntary donations and legacies to maintain its rescue service. Since the RNLI was founded in 1824, its lifeboat crews and lifeguards have saved over 146,000 lives.

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For more information please visit the RNLI website or Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. News releases, videos and photos are available on the News Centre.

Contacting the RNLI - public enquiries

Members of the public may contact the RNLI on 0300 300 9990 (UK) or 1800 991802 (Ireland) or by email.

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