Plan to reduce night fire cover

West Midlands Fire Service plans to reduce the number of fire engines on call overnight by about 25%.

The change would cause the loss of about 70 firefighters' jobs, although the fire service hopes no compulsory redundancies would be necessary.

It wants to reduce the number of engines on call between midnight and 8am from 62 to 47, in an effort to make better use of its resources.

A Fire Brigades Union (FBU) spokesman said the changes could cost lives.

Fire stations that would be affected Bournbrook Brierley Hill Central Coventry Dudley Erdington Foleshill Handsworth Highgate Ladywood Oldbury Smethwick Solihull West Bromwich Wolverhampton

Under the measures, 15 fire stations which currently have two appliances on duty overnight would be left with one.

The plan follows a recently-introduced way of working which has seen 15 of West Midlands Fire Service's 62 appliances used for community safety work during the day, instead of being on call for emergencies.

In a statement, the fire service said: "It is not an efficient use of our resources to have more fire engines available during the quietest times, when we are fully able to manage with 47 during the busiest hours."

But the FBU's West Midlands chairman Phil Goalby told the BBC that although the changes would save about £1m, they could also put lives at risk.

"It means people could have to wait longer for support services.

"The changes will put more people's lives at additional risk. Fires will burn for longer and it will mean more danger for firefighters too."

Fire service staff and the public have until February to give their opinions before a final decision is made.