HAYES fire station could still lose one of its two fire engines, despite changes made to the London Fire Brigade's proposed cuts to the service.

London Fire Commissioner Ron Dobson today (Wednesday) published a revised draft Fifth London Safety Plan.

The first plan, published in January, outlined plans to close 12 stations across London, and remove 18 pumps, including one at Hayes Fire Station, located in Shepiston Lane.

Following a consultation exercise and revisions, the number of station up for closure has been reduced to 10, with Clapham and New Cross fire station spared.

Four of the 18 fire appliances initially due to be removed are kept in the amended plan, but Hayes is not one of the stations to benefit from this.

The withdrawal of an engine equates to 20 less firefighters.

People in Hillingdon were given the chance to grill members of the London Fire and Emergency Planning Authority (LFEPA) at a public meeting at the Civic Centre in April, midway through the consultation.

Gary Reason, London Fire Brigade's director of operational resilience, faced firm public opposition, and said that while the borough as a whole fell below some response time targets, Hayes station was underused and the number of fires in the catchment area had dropped by nearly half in the last decade.

The cost of keeping Clapham and New Cross stations open will instead be met by reducing the number of specialist fire rescue units by two, from 16 to 14, saving s6m.

The following stations are still under threat of closure: Belsize, Bow, Clerkenwell, Downham, Kingsland, Knightsbridge, Silvertown, Southwark, Westminster, and Woolwich.

The Draft Fifth London Safety Plan aims to cut costs by s28.4million in the next two years, whilst maintaining target fire response times and making improvements.

The new report is to be discussed by members of the London Fire and Emergency Planning Authority (LFEPA), at a public meeting on Thursday July 18.