Drawing the attention of bureaucrats is never a good idea under an authoritarian regime. The nail that sticks its head up will be hammered down. In Britain, which is degenerating into totalitarian moonbattery at a terrifying rate, even rescuing a drowning girl can get you in trouble.

A volunteer coastguard crew face disciplinary action after going to the rescue of a teenage swimmer in a boat that had recently been repaired and was awaiting a seaworthiness inspection.

The four crewmen were on duty at Hope Cove in South Devon when the 15-year-old girl was swept out to sea by a powerful rip tide. They braved heavy surf to launch their 17ft rigid inflatable.

The girl was rescued by a diver and the coastguard crew brought her ashore. But within hours their boat had been confiscated and the station officer and his crew had been threatened with disciplinary action.

The station officer is Ian Pedrick, who owns a nearby pub. He has been ordered by Maritime and Coastguard Agency bureaucrats not to comment on the incident. At least Britain hasn't reached the point yet where he would simply disappear for having forgotten that in Airstrip One, the rule of rescue has been repealed.

On a tip from Rob Banks. Cross-posted at Moonbattery.