THE UK’s air rescue co-ordination centre is to be moved from Scotland to Hampshire to create a single air and sea rescue hub, the Ministry of Defence has confirmed.

The UK Aeronautical Rescue Co-ordination Centre (ARCC), based currently at Kinloss Barracks in Scotland, is moving to the new National Maritime Operations Centre (NMOC) in Fareham. The transfer of operations is set to be complete by autumn 2015.

The ARCC is responsible for co-ordinating all RAF, Royal Navy and Maritime and Coastguard Agency Search and Rescue helicopters and also the Royal Air Force Mountain Rescue Service in the UK.

A Government spokesman said: “The relocation of the ARCC to the National Maritime Operations Centre at Fareham will combine the aeronautical and maritime rescue coordination functions, resulting in a better service for those in distress. The new UK search and rescue service will use faster, brand new helicopters, cutting average response times and providing a more reliable overall service.”

The Scottish National Party (SNP) has described the move as “devastating news for the personnel at Kinloss, for Moray and for Scotland more generally”.

Westminster SNP leader and defence spokesman Angus Robertson said: “It is the latest in a series of disproportionate MoD cuts to defence bases, capabilities and personnel.”

The NMOC went live in September, taking over from coastguard stations around Britain, and the Maritime and Coastguard Agency has said that the change was designed to enable a much bigger and better support network available nationally.

On opening, 47 coastguards were based at the new centre, with 14 having transferred across from Solent and Portland, but that number is set to rise to 96 by the end of 2015.