A PUBLIC consultation will be held on plans to close eight fire stations across Dorset and Wiltshire, after the fire authority voted in favour at a meeting this morning.

Members of Dorset & Wiltshire Fire Authority backed the consultation by 11 votes to four during the meeting at City Hall in Salisbury.

The stations under threat are Wilton, Cranborne, Mere, Ramsbury, Bradford on Avon, Hamworthy, Maiden Newton and Charmouth.

Firefighters have already been informed that the stations could be shut as part of cost-cutting plans.

The Fire Brigades Union (FBU) has warned the proposals would put lives at risk and significantly reduce emergency cover for communities.

Confirming the result, authority member Cllr Paul Sample said the vote would allow the public to have their say on proposals which have so far focused heavily on station closures.

“I was a member of the working group. The way the working group was set up was to look at station closures,” he told the meeting.

“It was also asked to prepare a list for consultation, and I was very happy with the fact that we were going to go out to consultation, and that was a primary reason why I took part.”

“Absolutely no one who was at that working party really wanted to be there. That’s the reality. We were all in a very sad situation.”

Cllr Sample said he wanted the consultation to look more broadly at alternatives before frontline cover was reduced.