COASTGUARD employees at Fife Ness went out on strike last night.

The 48-hour walkout, affecting coastguard stations across the UK, began at 7pm and is the latest action in a long-running dispute over pay.

Three days of strike action have already been held this year by members of the PCS Union who are angered that levels of pay in the Maritime and Coastguard Agency have fallen well behind those in other emergency services.