Thousands of volunteers told they will no longer be paid for saving people's lives by HM Coastguard - after judge ruled they were actually workers and had employment rights

By LETTICE BROMOVSKY, NEWS REPORTER Published: 22:04, 2 June 2026 | Updated: 22:11, 2 June 2026 Hundreds of volunteer coastguards are threatening to walk away from Britain's frontline rescue service after being told they will no longer be paid for attending emergencies. HM Coastguard has informed its 3,500 volunteer Coastguard Rescue Officers (CROs) that from September they will no longer receive hourly remuneration for attending incidents, training exercises and operational duties. The decision follows a landmark Court of Appeal ruling which found that volunteer coastguards who received payments for their work could legally be classed as workers rather than volunteers. But the move has sparked fury among volunteers, with some senior officers resigning immediately and others warning of a potential exodus from a service that responds to thousands of incidents every year. One volunteer, who wished to remain anonymous, told the Daily Mail: 'Station officers, team leaders and officers in charge are already resigning all over the country. 'This puts massive pressure on police who are not rope rescue or water rescue trained. Fire who have limited resources. People are going to die.' They added: 'Just shows they have no value for us at all and more so other agencies and the public. 'There is uproar across the country from people who absolutely love what they do and give up time in paid employment, self-employment, times with families and get out of bed all hours for our community and the people we love to protect.' HM Coastguard has informed its 3,500 volunteer Coastguard Rescue Officers (CROs) that from September they will no longer receive hourly remuneration for attending incidents The decision follows a landmark Court of Appeal ruling which found that volunteer coastguards who received payments for their work could legally be classed as workers rather than volunteers The anger comes during a week in which 15 people have died after getting into difficulty in the water around Britain. Currently, Coastguard Rescue Officers can claim remuneration of just over £11 per hour when responding to incidents, with a minimum payment equivalent to three hours even if a call-out is resolved more quickly. The payments were designed to compensate volunteers for disruption to their employment and family lives rather than act as a salary. The Coastguard Rescue Service is frequently called upon to deal with missing persons, cliff rescues, mud rescues, flood incidents, searches, people cut off by tides and reports of individuals in the water. In Sunderland alone, coastguards revealed this week that May had been their busiest month on record. In a social media post, Sunderland Coastguard Rescue Team said: 'May was the busiest month in Sunderland Coastguard Rescue Team's history, with the team responding to 41 incidents across our area. 'The month saw a wide variety of callouts, including supporting police operations, responding to reports of people in the water, rescuing people cut off by the tide, assisting with searches for missing persons, and attending medical incidents.' The decision was announced in a letter to volunteers from Maritime and Coastguard Agency chief executive Virginia McVea. She wrote: 'Protecting the future strength and resilience of the Service is our priority, and based on the evidence available, we have decided to move the CRS to a revised volunteer model with expenses but not hourly remuneration.' The then Prince of Wales meeting crews of a HM Coastguard's search and rescue helicopter during the Maritime and Coastguard Agency 200th anniversary celebration in 2022 Currently, Coastguard Rescue Officers can claim remuneration of just over £11 per hour when responding to incidents In Sunderland alone, coastguards revealed this week that May had been their busiest month on record She acknowledged many volunteers would be unhappy with the decision, adding: 'We know many people would have preferred that the current model remain in place. Because of the legal judgment, this was not an option.' Ms McVea said volunteers would continue to receive expenses, training, equipment, operational support, uniforms and personal protective equipment. She added: 'I want to be clear that this decision does not reflect any reduction in how much we value our Coastguard Rescue Officers or the service they provide.' The changes are expected to take effect by mid-September, with volunteers continuing to receive remuneration during the summer. The decision follows years of litigation brought by former Coastguard Rescue Officer Martin Groom. In January this year, the Court of Appeal upheld an earlier Employment Appeal Tribunal ruling that Coastguard Rescue Officers were legally 'workers' when undertaking activities for which they were entitled to claim remuneration. Judges found that although officers were described as volunteers, a contractual relationship arose whenever they attended activities carrying a right to payment, potentially exposing the Maritime and Coastguard Agency to employment rights claims including holiday pay and other worker protections. The MCA has now responded by removing hourly remuneration altogether and reverting to what it describes as a 'revised volunteer model'. However, the announcement has already triggered resignations. Jason Roberts, deputy station officer for Shoreham Coastguard Rescue Team, announced he was stepping down with immediate effect. In a resignation statement, he said: 'The recent decision to remove remuneration fundamentally changes the agreement that has existed for many volunteers. 'For me, remuneration was never about getting rich. It was about recognising the sacrifice being made. It acknowledged the time taken away from our businesses, our employment, our families and our personal lives. It was the mechanism that made the ever-growing burden of non-rescue taskings acceptable for many of us. The then Duchess of Cornwall meeting crews in 2022 The decision follows years of litigation brought by former Coastguard Rescue Officer Martin Groom 'I believe removing that remuneration while expecting the same level of commitment, availability and operational output is unrealistic and ultimately unsustainable. 'More importantly, I believe it risks reducing the resilience, experience and capability of Coastguard Rescue Teams across the country. I sincerely hope I am wrong. 'I hope the service thrives, recruitment remains strong... and the public continues to receive the level of rescue service they deserve. However, I cannot personally support a model which I believe places excessive pressure on volunteers whilst simultaneously reducing the financial support provided to them. 'I have always felt a responsibility not only for the safety of the public but also for the welfare of the CROs I served alongside. Remaining in post would suggest that I support this new direction, and I simply cannot do that. 'I therefore stand down in protest of this decision.' The Maritime and Coastguard Agency insisted the move would not affect public safety. A spokesman said: 'After careful consideration, we are moving the Coastguard Rescue Service to a revised volunteer model, to best protect the future of the service. 'This decision follows a legal judgment, which means we need to change how the service operates. This new model protects choice, flexibility and the ability for people to volunteer alongside their primary employment. 'We deeply value and recognise the significant service Coastguard Rescue Officers provide along our coastline, and we will be supporting them during this transition. 'The Coastguard Rescue Service will continue to maintain a robust, effective search and rescue response, ensuring the highest quality of service and levels of safety.' But volunteers fear the loss of remuneration will make it increasingly difficult to persuade people to leave work, family commitments and businesses at a moment's notice to respond to emergencies. Trevalee Sykes said: 'They ask us what we want then shaft us, the beginning of the end of coastguard stations and a lot of lives will be lost, cost of living crisis means no one can afford to lose wages to attend for no remuneration.' Mike Robertson, another volunteer added: 'This is outrageous. I have just stood down after 3 years. Didn't do it for the money. I could only do it because I was semi retired. However many of the CROs I served with had full time jobs, young families etc and still was on almost every shout whatever the time of day or night. 'Some have been doing it for over 20 years, some taking on huge responsibility as SO's and DSO's with no real recognition. This will decimate the service.' Dave Jackson agreed: 'Bleddy [sic] typical just goes to show how they treat. Men and women who give there time helping people in trouble, MCA you should be ashamed.' The comments below have not been moderated. The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. 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