EMERGENCY services have been given access to a fenced-off quayside.

Trent Wharfage, owners of Mistley Quay, handed over keys to police and the coastguard.

The move comes after the coastguard was forced to remove part of the fence during a rescue operation last month.

Kate Worsley, of Free the Quay, which has campaigned against the two-metre high fence since it was put up in September last year, said the move proved there needed to be access to the quayside.

Rosie Tapping, spokesman for the Maritime and Coastal Agency, said: “The local coastguard has now been given a key, which allows it access to the quay in the event a casualty has been brought alongside it.

“In the incident in October, the lifeboat had brought the casualty alongside, where they were met by coastguard rescue volunteers.”

She added the key will mean the coastguard response team can access the quay if it needs to transfer a casualty from a rescue boat to land.

Mistley police, which had an emergency access contact number, have also been given a key.

PC Chris Phillips said: “It’s excellent news. It will enable us to access the quay in an emergency and will hopefully mean any incident can be dealt with swiftly.”

Trent Wharfage claims it installed the fence after the Health and Safety Executive gave it options to comply with the law.

The executive said it had never prescribed what safety precautions the company should take and did not order the installation of the fence.

Trent Wharfage was not available to comment.