South Shields VLB Coast Rescue Defender 130

History

The South Shields Volunteer Life Brigade, founded in 1866 after the wreck of the Tenterden, is one of the oldest shore rescue organisations in the world and still turns out for cliff, beach and pier incidents on the south side of the Tyne. In 1996 it took delivery of a purpose-built rescue vehicle from Land Rover Special Vehicles: a Defender 130 double cab whose bed carries a box body with roller-shutter sides for ropes, stretchers and cliff-rescue kit, a full-length roof rack for the bulkier covers and floats, and a blue light bar over the cab.

The ukemergency.co.uk photograph shows it on the cliff top: dark blue with a yellow waist band running the length of the vehicle, COAST RESCUE in white on the box side, the brigade's crest on the front doors, a spare on the bonnet, rolled yellow covers strapped on the rack and black steel wheels. The registry model builds the box body and rack on the 130 double cab and drops the roof covers as cargo.

Imagery

Registry record

Manufacturer

Land Rover Special Vehicles (Defender 130 double cab conversion)

Manufactured

Built 1996

Modifier / coachbuilder

Land Rover Special Vehicles for South Shields VLB

Engine type

Land Rover 300Tdi 2.5 L turbo-diesel

Production run

1

Country of origin

United Kingdom

Operated in

United Kingdom

Status

in-service

Catalogue data

Record kind

Named model

Model line

Defender

Wheels

4

Nominal wheelbase

130″

Catalogue fields describe the vehicle's structure and body as this registry records it. They are not certified factory measurements, and no performance figures are published here.

Sources & citations

Researched sources

• This is a custom built Land Rover constructed by Land Rover Special Vehicles ↗ — UK Emergency Vehicles (accessed 2026-09-12)

Catalogue references

• https://www.ukemergency.co.uk/this-is-a-custom-built-land-rover-constructed/ https://www.ukemergency.co.uk/this-is-a-custom-built-land-rover-constructed/ ↗