BURNLEY’S new £1.7m ambulance station next to the town's general teaching hospital is now fully operational.

The 5,400 sq ft purpose-built hub replaces the previous building on Dent Row off Trafalgar Street and will service the town and the surrounding areas of East Lancashire.

Burnley MP Julie Cooper said: "I'm delighted. It's fantastic."

The new station was developed by One Partnership, a joint venture between the Eric Wright Group and the NHS.

North West Ambulance Service (NWAS) worked with East Lancashire Hospitals Trust and One Partnership, to create the new station at Briercliffe Road to meet the increasing demand for ‘blue light’ services across Pennine Lancashire.

The ambulance station includes a training room for staff development and incident simulation.

Preston-based contractor Eric Wright Special Projects built the two-storey station which includes vehicle parking and a service yard.

The former ambulance station is being turned into a 90-space car park for the redeveloped Manchester Road railway station.

Mrs Cooper said: "I'm delighted with this new ambulance station. I visited it last week.

"It is fantastic, centrally located and next to Burnley General Hospital where it is needed.

"One of the best things is the training suite where paramedics can improve their skills on site without having to go elsewhere."

NWAS had ruled that the former ambulance station was 'no longer fit for purpose' and that its new position as a 'satellite' hub at the rear of the Burnley General Teaching Hospital was the ideal location,

One Partnership’s managing director Christine Winstanley said: “The new building will help to meet the needs of the region’s health care system and will enable NWAS to deliver an improved service for its users. "