FIRE chiefs in Lancashire have pulled back from making £2.5 million-worth of cuts in the county's service.

The decision was made as councillors insisted that public and fire fighters' safety has to be given priority ahead of making savings. Lancashire's councils will now have to bear the brunt of the cost of providing fire cover in the county.

The shadow Combined Fire Authority, which takes over control of fire services throughout the county in April, met to fix its budget amid fears that jobs, services and fire stations were facing the axe.

Oswaldtwistle, Haslingden and Bacup stations were all under threat as the new authority was looking at ways of making savings.

Blackburn with Darwen Council called on the new authority to make a three per cent cut in its £42 million annual budget. But the Fire Brigade Union had warned of strike action if there were job cuts.

The fire authority has made about £200,000-worth of savings in its first year and the rest of the cash will have to be found by Lancashire's three biggest councils.

Lancashire County Council will pay the most towards the cost of running the fire authority at £34.6 million.

The two new unitary authorities, Blackpool and Blackburn with Darwen, will have to find about £8 million between them.

County Councillor Bob Clark has been appointed chairman of the new combined fire authority.

He said: "Our first priority has to be the safety of the public and of our firefighters.

"Statistics prove if cover is reduced, then officers are more likely to get injured and we are not prepared to go down that road.

"We believe that Lancashire County Council and the two unitary councils have set money aside to pay towards the fire authority's cost."

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