Plan to close Sale and Offerton fire stations at night scrapped

The plans had sparked anger from firefighters and politicians

Plans to stop manning two fire stations at night have been scrapped.

The overnight closure of Sale and Offerton stations was proposed as part of a review by Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service (GMFRS).

But Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham confirmed the stations in Stockport and Trafford would continue to be manned 24-hours-a-day.

Cover will also increase at Manchester Central due to the growing population and more high-rise buildings.

Major changes to existing specialist rescue stations at Leigh and Ashton are also in the plans.

The outcome of a public consultation on the plans was revealed at a Greater Manchester Combined Authority meeting earlier.

Mr Burnham told the meeting: "This is the first time in 15 years in Greater Manchester that a fire cover review has led to an increase.

"But that's right given that we are a growing city-region."

He also confirmed that GMFRS would invest £340,000 in prevention and protection activities and get 12 new fire pumps of the "highest standard".

The overnight closure of Sale and Offerton stations was proposed as part of a review

This means three-quarters of the fleet will be less than five years old, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

Deputy Mayor Kate Green said that the move would not come at a cost to taxpayers.

However, the previous proposal for an extra fire pump at Moss Side would not go ahead.

Stockport and Trafford councillors said there would be a "huge sigh of relief" for residents living near the stations.

Under the original plans, Offerton and Sale stations would have had day crews with staff put on-call from 1800 to 0830.

The plans sparked anger from firefighters and politicians.

Crews at the Lisburne Lane station, which is the closest to Stepping Hill Hospital, said that they believed the move could have been potentially "catastrophic", due to delays in getting to a large hospital fire at night.