Breaks in towers - need info

[country boy]

Hi, I am seeking verifiable information on how tower controllers in secondary airports in the UK take their breaks, particularily solo watch towers. Are there formal mechanisnisms where the tower closes for a set period of time to achieve a break or do they just grab a quiet moment to make a cup of coffee?

[chevvron]

All UK ATCOs irrespective of operational task have to take at least 30 min rest for every 2 hours of operational duty. Any modification of this by the ATS provider has to be approved by the UK CAA.

[OA32]

In the UK it is called SRATCOH and can be found in CAP670 Section D part 2 page 1 onwards.

http://www.caa.co.uk/docs/33/CAP670.PDF

The document can be downloaded for free.

[eastern wiseguy]

Country Boy...try locating someone from Eglinton City of Derry. They used to shut up shop on a regular basis to accomodate their breaks.

[country boy]

Thanks that document will be very useful to me. What I need to know now is how many "solo watch" control towers there are in the UK. Can anyone point me in the right direction to find this out?