'Minutes matter - don't let our fire stations close'

A mission to save eight fire stations from closure has been launched as campaigners say "minutes matter" in emergencies.

A public consultation is under way on Dorset & Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service (DWFRS) proposals to close eight stations, including Ramsbury, Bradford-on-Avon, Wilton, and Mere, due to significant financial challenges.

Alice Elliott, 24, from Wilton in Wiltshire, who set up the campaign to save the stations, said: "Minutes matter and we can't ignore the fact that all the reports say that there will be an increase in response time."

Andy Cole, chief fire officer, said "nobody wants to close fire stations" but the service's financial position is "very challenging".

Jack Vittles, mayor of Bradford-on-Avon, said the fear was that response times in the town will "leap to about three minutes on the average incident call-out".

"The real conversation is about how much increase in risk are we willing to bear for the sake of saving about 0.5% of their annual budget," he said.

To balance the budget, DWFRS said it needs to find "in-year savings totalling £1.206m".

In a bid to save money, the service is proposing to close four on-call fire stations in Wiltshire, as well as Cranborne, Hamworthy, Maiden Newton and Charmouth in Dorset.

Elliott, whose father-in-law works in the fire service, said she is "not opposed to making changes to the service" but all options "need to be considered" to "limit the amount of risk".

"Whatever choice we make, we need the data to be able to back that it definitely is the lowest risk, and it is definitely going to have the least risk to life," she said.

"Some people aren't going to read local newspapers or be on Facebook - my goal is to cross all borders to raise awareness and get as much response to the consultation as possible."

Cole said there will be an increase in risk to people as response times go up.

"We're not shying away from that, but I simply have no other option," he said.

The public consultation is "essential" as no decisions have been made yet, he added.

"This isn't Plan A, we've worked through many difficult options before this point," he said.

"That is why we want [people] to tell us what they think, and if there's anything important that we might have missed."

A 13-week consultation is due to run until 15 May, with a final decision expected by the end of June.

Follow BBC Wiltshire on Facebook, X and Instagram. Send your story ideas to us on email or via WhatsApp on 0800 313 4630.