Cornish town left without 'full coverage' after five firefighters suspended
There are concerns a Cornish town does not have adequate fire brigade cover after five firefighters were suspended from one station.
People in Lostwithiel have been forced to rely on crews from nearby stations following the suspension of five members of staff.
It comes after allegations were made by an employee at the end of October.
The nature of the allegations has not been disclosed but the complainant has been placed on special leave while those under investigation are suspended - meaning a total of six staff members are currently absent from duty.
Cornwall Council is investigating and is expected to publish a final report in the next three weeks - which could clear the firefighters, lead to verbal or written warnings or even dismissals.
Lostwithiel councillor Colin Martin said he fears the suspensions could reduce response time to incidents.
Mr Martin added: "I know that Cornwall Council are working to remedy the situation and fill the gap but it means we don’t have enough retained firefighters in the town to cover all the shifts throughout the week.
“Of course, there will always be coverage and other fire stations will respond to incidents in Lostwithiel but we are short of retained firefighters who live four minutes away from the station.
“This investigation has revealed one thing - that fire cover in Lostwithiel was already down to the bone. I didn’t know the team was so short-staffed.”
Cllr Martin said cover is now needed from full-time staff based at other fire stations.
Lostwithiel should have 14 retained crew.
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