THREE fire crews were called to tackle a garage fire in Shipston which started by a tumble drier

Warwickshire Fire & Rescue Service were called at 8.13am today (Thursday) to the blaze in Railway Crescent.

A crew from Stratford and retained firefighters from Wellesbourne and Shipston attended and found a single-storey building was well alight.

A Warwickshire Fire & Rescue Service spokesman said the fire started by a tumble drier which was stored in the corner of the garage and there were no injuries.

Fire crews used hose reels to extinguish the flames and left just after 10am after ensuring the fire was fully extinguished and the area was safe.

Shipston's Deputy Mayor Philip Vial, who lives opposite and was woken up by the sound of the fire engines, said keeping retained firefighters in the town was really important.

"It was lucky it was a garage and not in someone's house," he said. "If there hadn't been retained fire fighters around, waiting for a crew from Stratford would be slightly more worrying.

"They are not under threat in Shipston which is good news and long may it continue. There have been threats to cut retained firefighters in Warwickshire.

"In very rural areas like Shipston, waiting for a crew from Stratford can mean between life and death. If it has been a more serious fire, retained firefighters would been first on scene."

Warwickshire Fire and Rescue Service has to make cuts of £1.3million over the next two years and is holding roadshows around the county for members of the public.

Councillor Les Caborn, Portfolio Holder for Community Safety, said: “Demand has changed and the types of incidents the service attends have changed so we need to position the service to give the best response within the resources we have available.

"Above all we want to make the people of Warwickshire safer by changing the way the service operates in the future.”

For details or to complete the consultation survey, visit warwickshire.gov.uk/fireandrescue.

The deadline for comments is Friday, June 20.