Fire control centre for Taunton

The control room will be housed in a new centre in Taunton

A single control room to deal with all fire emergencies in the South West will be based in Taunton.

The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister made the long-awaited announcement on Wednesday after months of delays.

The news will mean the closure of each of the county-based fire control centres from Dorset to Cornwall.

Gloucestershire's Chief Fire Officer, whose staff recently moved into a new tri-service centre, has threatened to resign if the plans go ahead.

The announcement that a new control room will be built at Blackbrook Business Park in the Somerset town was greeted with anger and disappointment by fire service bosses from across the region.

Terry Walker, chairman of the Avon Fire Authority said: "I am disappointed but not surprised.

It is regrettable that a proper evaluation of Lansdown as an option has never been undertaken Chief Fire Officer Kevin Pearson

"I think it's a terrible shame that, while we already have a perfectly good centre at Lansdown, we are going to be asked to finance another one.

"While the government is going to pay initially, the people of the South West are going to have to pay over the next 15 years and I think it's a monstrous thing that's happened."

Chief Fire Officer of Avon Fire and Rescue, Kevin Pearson added: "The elected members of the fire authority have lobbied long and hard to ensure that their position regarding Lansdown is understood.

"It is regrettable that a proper evaluation of Lansdown as an option has never been undertaken. In my view, the regional control centre function could be carried out at the existing facilities."

Revealing the decision, ODPM Minister Jim Fitzpatrick MP said: "There is a compelling need to modernise and rationalise the control rooms in England, as part of the overall modernisation agenda.

"In the post-9/11 world, and in the wake of the events of 7th July, we need control centres that are resilient enough to deal with a terrorist attack or any natural disaster."