Staff from Dover Coastguard Station took strike action at the weekend in an ongoing battle to raise grading levels.

They staged a picket on Friday night and Saturday morning to highlight their campaign.

Senior watch manager Trevor Dowle said they have been in dispute for two and a half years and felt this was the only action they could take to make their feelings known.

"I would like to stress we were not on strike over pay but over grading.

"We feel the grading should be much higher, as we do just as difficult a job as the other emergency services.

"Almost every emergency call a coastguard receives results in a life being saved. That’s why we feels so strongly that we are being paid well below our grade."

Stirkers were met by Dover and Deal MP Gwyn Prosser on Saturday morning on the picket line.

During the strike action people were urged to take extra care on and around the water.

Chief executive of the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) Peter Cardy said: "Plans were in place to provide cover but we encouraged everybody working or playing on the sea or on the beach to take extra care and follow our safety advice."