THE COASTGUARD service is coming inland to take charge of carrying out search and rescue operations on Windermere and Coniston Water to provide round-the-clock emergency coverage for the first time.

In an added boost to safety, teams of volunteers will be created to cover the two lakes, along with Ullswater and Derwentwater, when the Maritime and Coastguard Agency takes responsibility for search and rescue from Cumbria Police in April.

The implementation of an official, co-ordinated approach to search and rescue on the lakes was hailed as a "natural progression" in the light of the growing number of call-outs in recent years.

At present, the police work alongside lake wardens from South Lakeland District Council to carry out rescues on Windermere and, in some cases, rely on boat owners in quieter lakes such as Coniston Water to help in an emergency.

Although current rescue coverage had proved successful, the expertise and constant coverage offered by the coastguard would make the lakes safer, said HM Coastguard area operations manager Davy Thompson.

Under the new arrangements, which were announced on Monday, the coastguard will oversee operations but will continue to call on the experience and local knowledge of the police, wardens and boat owners in a partnership approach.

In future, members of the public will need to ask for the coastguard when making an emergency 999 call for help.

"The move is really a natural step forward and will help boost safety," said Mr Thompson.

"The coastguard has already been highly successful at covering inland waterways such as the Norfolk Broads and we played a significant part in helping to rescue people in Carlisle during the recent floods."

He added the move was even more significant as county transport leaders looked to increase the number of passenger boats in the Lake District to encourage visitors out of their cars and on to public transport to ease congestion on the park's roads.

"One of the considerations prior to the decision had been the possibility of extra passenger boats on the lakes in the future, which impressed the need of having a more heightened response," said Mr Thompson.

"Rescuing a couple of water skiers is generally straight forward but assisting a boat with a hundred or so passengers demands much more."

Teams of three volunteers will be stationed near Windermere and Coniston Water, but also close enough to Ullswater and Derwentwater, if and when extra manpower was needed.

They will continue to use existing boats and equipment and will contact boat owners who offer their vessels in an emergency to evaluate their future use.

Windermere sees around 350 call-outs a year, although only a dozen or so require a response by boat.

Chief Superintendent Steve Turnbull said handing responsibility to the coastguard would undoubtedly provide a better response and ease some pressure on officers.

Emma Dewhurst, of the Lake District National Park Authority, also welcomed the move. "The public wants to know there are facilities in place if they get into difficulty which is what makes this so important," she said.