FEARS have been mounting this week that residents in Cumbria are set to lose out if proposals to close the county's Emergency Fire Control Centre in Cockermouth go ahead.

The proposals, which will see control centres across the North West merged together on one site in Merseyside or Cheshire, were condemned by Lakes parish councillors who believe the detailed knowledge held by local fire services was so vital it could be the difference between life and death.

Kendal Town Council also voted unanimously on Monday night to back the Save Our Control' campaign, which has been set up by fire control operators based at Cockermouth.

Former Kendal Mayor, Tony Rothwell, said that people with little local knowledge would struggle to provide an adequate service for Cumbria.

"Cumbria is a very large county and somebody down in Merseyside won't have a clue. I really do feel that this is a retrograde step," he said.

A report commissioned by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister recommends combining operations for Cumbria, Lancashire, Cheshire, Greater Manchester and Merseyside.

Telephone operators in the control room believe the report has many flaws. Group chairman of the Save Our Control' campaign, Judith Tauber, said: "The decision was all made on costs. These are now rising and there probably won't be that much saved anyway and at what cost to the people of Cumbria?"

Westmorland and Lonsdale MP Tim Collins also agreed something must be done: "I share concerns over this move and will be challenging ministers to address fears that the regionalisation of this service will strip out important local knowledge which is vital in making sure incidents are responded to quickly."

Kate Fisher, for the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, said regional control centres are an important part of modernising the fire service helping to save lives.

A decision on where the new control centre will be located will be made by the Government in the New Year following regional input'.