PART-TIME firefighters face losing their jobs unless they are prepared to move house and live near an East Lancashire borough's new fire station.

Now a 1,000 signature petition has been handed into local councillors asking for support in opposing the shake-up, with residents pleading: "Lives will be lost if our station goes."

Fire chiefs are offering the 11 part-time, or retained, crew based at Oswaldtwistle Fire Station money towards their removal fees if they are prepared to up sticks and move to Church, where a multi-million pound station is to be built.

Lancashire Fire Authority announced last month that it plans to operate out of a privately-built fire station in Hyndburn Road, Church, and close its fire stations in Oswaldtwistle and Manchester Road, Accrington.

Fire chiefs claim the proposal will mean quicker response times to incidents but residents fear it could add time to some journeys.

And the 11 part-time firefighters at Oswaldtwistle Fire Station, also face an uncertain future. Because they are on call at night and at weekends, they have to live within five minutes of the fire station.

Moving it to Church will place many of them more than five minutes away from base, effectively costing them their jobs unless they move.

When news of the closure spread around Oswaldtwistle, members of the Wordsworth Close Residents Association began a petition opposing the closure.

Susan Catlow, the secretary of the association, said: "These firefighters are part of our community.

"Around here, we have a lot of wooden-fronted houses and last year one went up in flames. The Oswaldtwistle crew had it sorted by the time Accrington arrived.

"If there is a fire at the top end of Oswaldtwistle, how is the crew going to get from Church at rush hour? "The junction near where they will be based is a nightmare."

Her husband, vice-chairman Trevor Catlow said: "We got the petition together to show how much feeling there is about this. No-one has refused to sign and we will continue collecting signatures."

One firefighter said: "There are 11 of us and all of us will have to move if we want to keep our jobs.

"We have been offered moving costs but after the way they have treated us, we are asking whether it is worth it.

"They want us to move our homes to an area many of us don't want to live in." The petition has been handed in to Hyndburn Council.

Council leader Peter Britcliffe said: "I am very concerned about this. I can't imagine how times can be improved if the fire crews are getting stuck at the Church traffic lights in Hyndburn Road.

"We will discuss it at the area council and decide what action to take."

Coun Brian Walmsley, who serves Oswaldtwistle, said: "I think people are understandably concerned."

John Taylor, spokesman for Lancashire Fire and Rescue, said: "The retained crew are being offered relocation costs if they want to carry on working with us.

"If they don't, we will contact the old retained crew which we stood down in Accrington a couple of years ago and see if they want to come back or recruit new people.

"I am sure there will be facilities for the fire crews to control the traffic lights at Church so that it works in their favour."