Leader of a volunteer rescue service says its future is “up in the air” today with just days left to find a new base or face possible closure.

The Felixstowe Volunteer Coast Patrol Rescue Service (FVCPRS) has to move its equipment out of its current storage site by the weekend – and has no idea where it is going to keep everything.

Chairman John Cresswell said: “We have checked out five or six leads but sadly they have been absolutely no good to us at all.

“Everything is up in the air and it is causing us so much grief – we are off-service at the moment, cannot operate and don’t know what is going to happen. It’s a desperate situation.

“You would think someone in a town the size of Felixstowe would have somewhere we could store our equipment.”

The FVCPRS has been storing its specialist equipment at a former bomb shelter in Adastral Close, but the owners say the roof of the building is in imminent danger of collapse.

The service has already missed the date for moving out and now has to remove its kit by this weekend.

Mr Cresswell said the service was looking for a large, dry and secure storage area for its two boats, four trailers. two liferafts, and a 40ft shipping container to house its most vulnerable equipment.

One possibility explored was the little-used boat storage area at The Dip but Suffolk Coastal said there was only room for a 20ft container.

Mr Cresswell said the team had been looking forward to the new season, praising the hard work and commitment of its volunteers to get the service back on its feet after a devastating road crash while en route to help with the tidal surge in December, 2013.

He said: “Our service is needed more than ever. The last three years have been the busiest in history for sea rescue and we have seen a steady increase in our workload in the past four years.”

Anyone who can offer assistance shouldcontact the charity at fvcprs@gmail.com