Twenty full-time firefighters' jobs could go in Suffolk cuts

About 100 firefighters tackled a blaze in Sudbury in September

Twenty full-time firefighters could lose their jobs in Suffolk in order to meet budget cuts of more than £1m.

Suffolk Fire and Rescue Service, which employs about 700 people, may also lose 50-60 on-call firefighters as part of the savings plan.

The number of full-time crewed stations was reduced to four in a previous round of cuts - two remain in Ipswich, along with Lowestoft and Bury St Edmunds.

A public consultation on Suffolk County Council's plans will now take place.

Seven of the county's 47 fire engines could be scrapped and Wrentham fire station may close as part of the £1.3m cuts.

A fire engine in Sudbury, where a major fire broke out in September, could be replaced with a smaller "rapid response" vehicle.

'Devastating cuts'

Matthew Hicks, of Suffolk County Council, said he was confident an "outstanding service" could be maintained.

"Without question, this is a challenging set of proposals," he said. "However, they have been shaped by the feedback we received during the recent pre-consultation held in the summer.

"I now encourage people to respond to this full consultation so we have a wide range of views to inform our final decisions."

There has been a fall in the number of emergency calls over the last 10 years in Suffolk, in line with other authorities, from about 10,000 in 2004 to about 6,700 last year.

A spokesman for the Suffolk Fire Brigades Union said they were "deeply concerned about the devastating cuts" which, they said, were "nothing but dangerous".

Chairman Andy Vingoe said: "The £1.3m saving could be avoided totally if council tax was increased by less than £1.80 per person in Suffolk per year.

"We strongly urge all residents to reply to the consultation to tell the council that we are not prepared to endure these cuts."