FIRE bosses have been urged to give Clitheroe its own full-time crew amid fears the town could be left with no local cover during the day.

Ribble Valley Council's leader and the borough's MP both believe Clitheroe's expanding population is a good enough reason for Lancashire's fire authority to upgrade the fire station.

Fire chiefs said they would look at the concerns during the current review of services across the county.

Currently, the Princess Avenue station is manned by retained firefighters who, while on shift, are no more than five minutes away.

And while night-time and evening cover isn't a problem for the retained crews, finding enough officers to turn out pumps during the day is increasingly difficult.

A recruitment drive has been launched at the station, but with crews often on stand-by for up to 120 hours a week, and little financial reward, existing firefighters say it is becoming harder to attract people to cover during the day.

If the Clitheroe pump can't turn out, crews have to be dispatched from Blackburn or Accrington. Clitheroe's response area covers 170 square miles.

Coun John Hill, leader of Ribble Valley Council, said: "Large parts of the Ribble Valley are in danger of being woefully exposed.

"Time is of the essence when there is a fire and unless the fire authorities start offering a better financial incentive for people to become retained firefighters, the only alternative is for the station to become full-time.

"This is a growing area and should be properly covered."

Ribble Valley MP Nigel Evans added: "We were all frightened during the fire strike because the nearest army vehicles were in Blackburn.

"With so many different types of emergencies possible in our area, including crashes on the A59, complex industrial problems and rural emergencies, it is time Clitheroe and the Ribble Valley was properly covered."

Dave McGrath, station officer at Clitheroe, said: "It is certainly becoming much harder to recruit retained firefighters for day cover.

"It's something which has to be looked at."

John Taylor, spokesman for Lancashire Fire and Rescue, said there was a review of fire cover going on and he was aware of the issue.