The stoppage disrupted services covering hundreds of miles of coastline, including The Wash and North Norfolk, and follows three previous 24-hour strikes regarding pay.

The action is in response to pay levels which fall well below those enjoyed by other emergency services, with staff furious at the fact watch assistants, who actively participate in 999 calls, only earn the national minimum wage.

The move is the first time in the 154-year history of HM Coastguard that staff have engaged in a 48-hour strike.

Yarmouth watch manager Peter Wheeler, who is also Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS) branch secretary, said: "This escalation of action is regretted, but we believe that it is necessary if we are to get the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) to the table to resolve this long-standing issue.

"In 2007 approximately 12,000 members of the public, holidaymakers and mariners around the coast and in UK waters were assisted in some way by a coastguard.

"It is disgraceful that such men and women are so poorly rewarded and that the management and Government appear to hold them in such low esteem."

Only the bare minimum of staff were available to respond to 999 calls during the 48-hour strike but the MCA put contingency measures in place to provide an emergency service to all beach, cliff and sea users.

Speaking on Friday MCA chief executive Peter Cardy said that helicopters and RNLI lifeboats would be in operation along with volunteer coastguard rescue officers, with emergency tugs and pollution control experts available for any shipping incidents.