Rescue services called to one hoax a week
Rescue services around the Irish coast are now dealing with one hoax call a week - with the majority coming from the Dublin area.
Figures just released by the coastguard confirm the number of rescue missions mounted by helicopters and the lifeboats during the past year are up - but on a more positive side so is the number of lives saved.
More than 4,800 people can thank the Irish coastguard, the lifeboats and the Aer Corps that they are alive today, following a year that saw the number of rescue missions hit almost 1,700.
On the positive side, the number of fishing boats requiring assistance dropped by 15% although this was counter balanced by a rise in call outs to ships and pleasure boats.
However, the most worrying aspect of the figures is the 13% rise in hoax calls. There is now an average of one a week, the majority of which are in the Dublin area. Apart from the financial cost of these calls, they also keep their rescue services out, when their assistance could be required in a genuine emergency elsewhere.
