REFORMS of the UK's coastguard service that would create a Hampshire supercentre to handle emergency calls for the entire UK must be abandoned, the Government was warned.

Shadow Transport Secretary Maria Eagle branded the plans a "shambles" and told ministers it was increasingly clear they were "ill-thought out" and would leave the coastline a more dangerous place.

The shake-up would mean just two 24-hour operational centres - one in Hampshire and one in Aberdeen - handled emergency calls for the entire UK with a back-up round the clock operation at Dover.

Consultation on the plans closed last week but the Government has indicated it will not make a decision over whether to push ahead until summer.

MPs and unions fear there is no proof the new technology that would be needed to handle all calls through the new base, likely to be built at the former HMS Daedalus site at Lee-on-the-Solent, is even available.

During Commons transport questions Ms Eagle pressed Secretary of State Philip Hammond demanding: "Given that it is increasingly clear that the policy is a shambles, why does he not just abandon the ill-thought-through proposals, which will leave our coastline a more dangerous place?"

But Mr Hammond dismissed the accusations as "opportunism", pointing out it was the previous administration that originally made the proposals for the maritime rescue agency.

He held out hope that the plans could change to protect more coastguard locations saying that some "very sensible" representations had been made as part of the consultation.

The number of coastguard staff are also set to be slashed by more than a third from nearly 600, leading to concerns over loss of local knowledge that could hamper rescue operations.

Mr Hammond said: "What a wonderful piece of opportunism. Of course, the previous administration originally made the proposals to modernise the coastguard.

"We have listened carefully to the representations, and some very sensible representations have been made about how the reconfiguration might be managed to protect more of the local location of services.

"Once the consultation is closed, we will publish a summary of the findings and make our response to it."

Prime Minister David Cameron has already pledged to rethink the plans if they threatened safety at sea.

The Government only wanted to make the changes to the coastguard agency if it led to frontline improvements he insisted.