The Maritime and Coastguard Agency says the devices, which are used to illuminate large areas of land and sea during night-time searches, could cause 'considerable injury'.

Rescue teams have been told to use 'safer' alternatives such as torches and night-vision goggles during land-based cliff and beach rescues.

All 400 Coastguard rescue teams now have until the end of the year to use up their cache of flares or hand them over to the Ministry of Defence for disposal.

Yesterday volunteers claimed the decision will put lives at risk because flares are essential for locating lost people and vessels in the dark.

One crewman said: 'This is the most stupid, ignorant thing I've heard of. Flares light up the entire sky and aid rescue missions - something that obviously can't be done with a hand-held torch.

When it comes to saving lives, making rescue attempts in the most dangerous of conditions, the brave men and women of the emergency services should have every conceivable device available to them, utilising the judgement of those who put themselves in peril to save others.

The Libertarian Party totally condemn this ridiculous bureaucratic act and would immediately reverse this most stupid of decisions by the Health & Safety executive.

It is now all too clear that the most dangerous thing to the life and limb of the British public, is the British Government.

Perhaps the faceless idiot who made this rule should be taken out to mid Atlantic in a small boat, and then ask his colleagues to find him with torches.

Hattip LPUK