FIREFIGHTERS at a station due to close have said their town will lose vital cover as a result.

Rayleigh fire station, which has a retained part-time crew, is earmarked to close in October when a new £4.5million station opens at Rayleigh Weir, replacing Hadleigh station.

Concerns have been raised because the new station will cover both Hadleigh’s and Rayleigh’s patches, but the total number of engines serving the area will drop from three to two.

There are seven staff at the 40-year-old Rayleigh station in Castle Road, after three of the original ten recently relocated to Waltham Abbey’s full-time station.

The remaining crew said they have been given the option of either working for the county-wide animal rescue unit at the new station or redundancy.

But because this would involve going out far less than they presently do, they say they would receive less pay as a result.

One staff member, who did not wish to be named, said: “We would earn about one-fifth of what we earn now.

“We feel like we are being forced out. It’s not much of a choice at all.

“Whatever is said, this fire station is closing down and this fire appliance is going from Rayleigh. That’s fact.

“It’s a bitter pill to swallow.”

Adrian Clarke, regional secretary of the Fire Brigades Union, said he was also worried about the cuts.

He said: “It’s a sad day for Rayleigh and the people who live in the town that Rayleigh’s retained station is closing in October.

“Effectively, it means the town will be having its fire cover cut by one pump.”

But Essex Fire and Rescue Service’s senior divisional officer Mark Hardingham, the deputy director of operational response, said response times would improve with the new station.

He said: “The part-time firefighters at Rayleigh have provided excellent service to the local community for a number of years.

“However, the development of a full-time community fire station at Rayleigh Weir means the part-time station at Rayleigh, less than a mile away, is no longer viable.

“The simple fact that it takes a part-time fire station about five more minutes to respond to a call than a full-time station, means the residents of Rayleigh will actually see a faster response from the new station than they get from the part-time station in the town.

“Having said this, we are keen to retain the skills and experience that have been developed by the crews at Rayleigh.”

Retained fire crews do civilian jobs, but are on call if a blaze breaks out in their town.