Emergency slipway for Severn

WITH the recent spate of boats getting into difficulties and drownings in the Severn, a new emergency slipway will come into use this week at Tewkesbury.

The purpose is to help saves lives by improving the water rescue response on the river. with the slipway to be handed over to the Gloucestershire Fire and Rescue on Friday.

Life or death

This means  the rescue boat can directly access a stretch of the Severn close to Tewkesbury town, and we are told it will improve response time by up to as much as 20 minutes, definitely a matter of life or death to someone in the river.

It has taken five weeks to construct, with security works the final part before it is functional.