A YOUNG woman from Larkfield has come to the rescue of Greenock Coastguard by becoming the area's first female officer.

New recruit Melissa Ahara has joined the ranks of the emergency service, based at the town's fire station, and is loving life helping people in need.

The 21-year-old is thought to be the first female rescue officer in the history of Greenock Coastguard - and officials hope it will encourage more women to get involved.

Steve Muldoon, senior coastal operations officer, said: "We're delighted to welcome Melissa to the team. "We've checked the records for the last 10 years and there's not been a female officer during that time.

"We looked even further back and can't find anything either.

"It's a big achievement for us as we wanted to bring that diversity to the team. Melissa has done fantastically well."

Melissa combines the voluntary role with her full-time job as a carer looking after elderly people across Inverclyde, after being persuaded to join by fellow volunteer Jamie Bennett.

She said: "There's an adrenaline buzz from it because you don't know what you're going to or where it is.

"I love it and there's a good team spirit. "Now we just need a few more girls!"

The Greenock Coastguard team is led by Steve and colleague Peter Stewart, who are the only two full-time members of staff. They are supported by six volunteers, including Melissa.

A recruitment drive is underway to encourage more to sign up, with an open evening taking place tonight from 6-8.30pm at the office within Greenock Fire Station.

Steve is also keen to boost the profile of the service and let people know that there are staff working locally, despite the closure of the Clyde Coastguard base at the former navy buildings six years ago when some services moved to Belfast.

He said: "What we want to get across is that we're still here.

"A lot of people thought we had shut down completely. "We attend incidents and people say 'have you come from Belfast?'. "For water rescue incidents or any incidents around the coast, phone 999 and ask for the coastguard."