As a retired Firefighter with 30 years service (much of it in the Wyre Forest) I wish to pay tribute to the fire crews who attended the terrible fire in the Horsefair last Thursday night. This tragic incident once again illustrates both the vital importance of our wonderful emergency services and the ridiculous nature of the dodgy statistics used by the Government to justify the closure of our fire stations and removal of our fire appliances (statistics which lie in tatters as fire call numbers are now rising again all over the country and by 12 per cent in Hereford & Worcester alone).

I may be more pleb than politician, but it does seem to me that one of the British Governments priorities should be to protect its own citizens?

So perhaps someone can explain to me how our Government can justify handing out multi million pound grants to effectively reduce our standards of fire & rescue provision (not only in Bewdley, Stourport and large parts of Kidderminster, but especially so in the outlying communities like Abberley, Blakedown, Clows Top and many, many others).

These fire & rescue service cuts must stop NOW or the politicians will have blood on their hands.

Melvyn Turbutt Bewdley.