PLANS to build two new community fire stations in south west Durham, at a cost of £8m, have been signed off.

County Durham and Darlington Fire and Rescue Service (CDDFRS) announced the deal for stations in Spennymoor in Bishop Auckland earlier this week.

The stations are part of the authority’s strategy to become more proactive towards fire safety while maintaining its emergency capabilities.

Andie Mackay, projects officer for CDDFRS, said: "To meet the needs of a modern community we don’t just respond to fires. We are there to help prevent them too.

"These new buildings will allow us to invite groups and individuals so we can get our safety message across to them.

"The current stations don’t allow us to do that effectively and many of them were built in the Fifties and don’t reflect the needs of our current workforce."

The new stations are designed and built to the latest Government standards and will be accessible to local community groups and the general public.

They are being built as part of a joint venture with Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service and Northumberland Fire and Rescue Service.

In total five stations and a station headquarters are being built at a cost of £40m.

Susan Johnson, chief executive of CDDFRS, said: "We are building community stations that will be among the most innovative and modern in the UK and we are proud that our communities will benefit from these facilities over the next 25 years.

"We have designed these buildings to help us make local communities safer and they will provide a visible focus point for community safety education".

To arrange to have the fire service come and fit a free smoke alarm call 0191-332-4222.