GLOUCESTERSHIRE residents could be put at risk if the scheme to move the county's fire control centre to Taunton goes ahead, according to a county councillor.

Cllr Dennis Andrewartha, county councillor for Dursley and Cam, said that centralising emergency services always puts people at risk.

However, cabinet members at Gloucestershire County Council have approved plans to move forward with a scheme that will see the county's fire control centre move over 100 miles away to Taunton by next year.

The council had previously petitioned against moving fire control away from the TriCentre in Waterwells, Quedgeley.

But the cabinet has reluctantly agreed to go along with the scheme to relocate the control centre because members felt it was necessary to ensure Gloucestershire has a say in the future of the project.

Cabinet member, Cllr Julie Girling, said: "Gloucestershire County Council has always opposed plans for a regional fire control centre and I want to make it very clear that we still do.

"Our local control centre did an excellent job in saving lives during last summer's flooding and I remain strongly opposed to any plans to scrap it.

"However, we have to make the best of a bad deal and make sure that if the worst happens and these plans do go ahead, that we have some say in what goes on."

Cllr Andrewartha said: "We know that centralising emergency services puts us at risk, we saw it before with the ambulance service.

"We had terrible trouble with Great Western Ambulance last year. We saw people waiting a long time for ambulances that did not know where they were going.

"We have resolved that situation to an extent by getting our own ambulance station back open 24 hours a day and becoming more localised.

He added: "I genuinely believe there is a danger in this so-called efficiency with SAT NAV technology and they are putting us all at risk.

"We have a fine fire service, one of the best in the country, so if it ain't broke don't change it."