A LIFEBOAT station in the centre of Worcester will open next month.

Volunteer teams from Mercia Inshore Search and Rescue (MISAR) will start moving onto Diglis Island, adjoining Diglis lock and weir, in early January.

Having the lifeboat headquarters at the heart of the city waterway will mean crews will no longer have to drag boats down river and canal banks, saving them valuable time when lives are at risk.

Dave Walker, team leader for water rescue team MISAR, said: “The final legal papers are with the solicitors, but everything has been confirmed and we should move in January.”

The first of the volunteers will begin training on Saturday, January 10, and form the basis of a 20-strong crew at the Diglis station, along with two fully equipped boats.

“The building doesn’t require dramatic transformation,” said Mr Walker. “We’ve got to install communications equipment, put a winch at the top of the ramp and get the kit room sorted out.”

Currently based in Upton-upon-Severn, MISAR works alongside the emergency services to rescue people who have fallen into the water, deals with capsized boats, and searches for missing persons.

During the 2007 summer floods, the volunteer crews helped rescue 67 people.

To find out more, call MISAR on 01684 593999 or visit merciarescue.org.