A NEW "super" fire station serving Camborne, Pool, Redruth and Hayle should be on the former Avers garage site, says a Cornwall councillor.

As consultation continues on the fire service's plans for the area, Mark Kaczmarek said his electors in St Day and Lanner would be the biggest losers should the fire service leave Redruth, as it is proposing.

The service wants to replace the Redruth and Camborne community fire stations with a whole-time fire station at Pool, probably in the Tolvaddon area, and a retained fire station sited at Hayle.

Fire chiefs say the changes would bring a further 15,000 homes within a ten-minute radius of a fire station while saving £450,000 a year.

Instead, Mr Kaczmarek is proposing the vacant former garage site, owned by developer Porthia and empty since the building burned down fire years ago.

"I have great concerns about the response times for people living in St Day, Lanner and Carharrack," he said.

"A fire station at Pool would add an extra three miles or so to the journey to get to the mining villages.

"I understand the fire service has to make savings, but the Tolvaddon junction is one of the worst in Cornwall.

"Avers would seem a much better option. It's got much better and much easier access on to the A30. It's a brownfield site, it's empty, and it's in a prime location."

He said fire service bosses were unwilling to comment while the public consultation was continuing, a claim that could not be confirmed as the West Briton went to press.

"Retained firefighters have done a fabulous job in Redruth, but you have to question whether their jobs would be secure if they had to get to Tolvaddon within a certain time," Mr Kaczmarek said.

The public consultation runs until 5pm on April 9.

Forms can be requested from www.cornwall.gov.uk/fire or by calling 0800 3581999.

Alternatively, write to Cornwall Fire and Rescue Service, CPRH Consultation Response, Old County Hall, Truro, TR1 3HA.