Protest over Findon fire station closure

Findon Fire Station is one of the three that would close under the proposals

Protesters have marched through a West Sussex village in a bid to save a fire station.

Findon is one of three retained fire stations earmarked for closure as part of the re-organisation of West Sussex Fire and Rescue Service (WSF&RS).

The other two that could be closed are Bosham and Keymer. All three are manned by part-time firefighters.

WSF&RS has said closures would be in low-risk areas, but the Fire Brigades Union said the service would be poorer.

Local racehorse trainer Nick Gifford, who joined the protest march, said: "This is not the first time that they've tried to close Findon.

"There's very strong support in the village and the surrounding community that we think this is unnecessary."

New station

Under the proposed plans, cover would be improved at Burgess Hill and Littlehampton, and a new fire station and training centre built at Broadbridge Heath, Horsham.

Bosham would be covered from Chichester, Findon from Worthing and Keymer by Burgess Hill.

The union has said night-time response times would be diminished in Bosham, Findon and Keymer.

The proposals are open for public consultation until 8 October, with a final decision being made in November.