Concerns raised over plans to close fire stations

A union has warned the planned closure of eight rural on-call fire stations will have a "significant impact on response times".

Dorset and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service (DWFRS) is considering closing Bradford-on-Avon, Mere, Ramsbury and Wilton fire stations in Wiltshire and Charmouth, Cranborne, Hamworthy and Maiden Newton in Dorset as part of a cost-saving proposal.

Andy Elliott, branch chair of the Fire and Rescue Services Association, said: "We believe there are savings elsewhere within the service."

DWFRS said it had to address a funding shortfall. The government said it will "support" the fire service with increased funding.

DWFRS is holding meetings in all of the towns or villages affected, along with online sessions, to go through the details and impact of the proposed closures.

Elliott added: "There are many thatched properties in this area, remote people, farms and it's some distance to the next fire station.

"The average response time, if Ramsbury was closed, would be 20 minutes, that's double the response standard that Dorset and Wiltshire has," he said.

DWFRS said it needs to find over £1.2m of savings to balance the budget over the coming financial year.

Chief fire officer, Andy Cole, said: "The funding provided by central government continues to be reduced by 19.5% over the next three years, leaving us with a gap between what we're funded to do and expected to do."

"I don't want to be in a position where I am having to propose station closures. We continue to see our funding reduced so I have to do something," he added.

Firefighters at on-call fire stations live or work near to the station and respond when alerted.

DWFRS said the loss of the stations could be covered by full-time crews.

Sheila Glass, chair of Ramsbury and Axford Parish Council, said she believed closing the station would be a "downward move".

"They should be lobbying for more funds in order to keep the stations rather than saying should we close this, this or this?"

Glass said she believed residents would be willing to pay more council tax to keep the station and encouraged the fire service to hold off the closure until it had tried to secure more funding.

Wiltshire Council is raising council tax by 4.99% from April, with some parts of Dorset seeing larger increases.

A spokesperson from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government said: "We know services like Dorset and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Authority work tirelessly to keep their community safe and over the next year we will support them with £79.5m, a 4% funding increase this year."

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