DURHAM will lose one of its three fire crews under proposals to extend cover in Spennymoor.

The county's brigade says the move could improve response times to some of the area's outlying villages.

But a Durham county councillor fears it will leave the city at risk if there is a major blaze.

The brigade wants to replace the fire stations at Spennymoor and Bishop Auckland with ones built under the controversial Private Finance Initiative.

Spennymoor is manned by two part-time crews, one of which would be replaced by a full-time crew of 28 firefighters on four watches if the proposals win approval. One of the crews would be scrapped, but the brigade says the reduction would be through natural wastage.

People in Durham can find out more about the plan, and say what they think about it, at meetings on Monday and Tuesday.

Allan Wood, the brigade's special projects area manager, said Durham had three fire engines to meet the criteria of old national standards that were scrapped, giving brigades more flexibility about where to station crews.

He said: "The emphasis used to be on protecting property but now it is on saving lives."

The proposal was based on risk assessments and analysis of incidents and a full-time crew at Spennymoor would "significantly improve" cover in the area and give quicker response times.

While people in the Durham area might think they would get a worse service, the move to Spennymoor could mean firefighters reaching fires in villages such as Bowburn, Coxhoe and Brandon faster.

He said that the plan would enable the brigade to do more fire prevention work, such as fitting smoke alarms.

Independent Durham county councillor for Weardale, John Shuttleworth, said: "It is jeopardising the lives of the people in Durham.

"What will happen if Durham Cathedral and County Hall go up at the same time? They should use the £87,000 they spend on lease cars for officers to keep the retained crew at Spennymoor."

A Durham City Council spokesman said: "We will look at these proposals to ensure that the people of the city are getting the right fire cover."

Both consultation meetings will be held at the brigade's headquarters in Finchale Road, Framwellgate Moor.

Monday's will be between 6.30pm and 8pm and Tuesday's between 9.30am and 11am.