Essential service in the south east may face interruption

There is concern in the south east that the search and rescue service may be interrupted in the new year

It follows reports the Waterford base for the Rescue 117 helicopter may close for over 6 months to facilitate retraining of staff by new provider the Bristow Group. The helicopter frequently attends at accident and emergency situations across County Wexford Waterford Independent TD Matt Shanahan says the community heavily relies on this facility and that a transition force should be provided to avoid closures.