AN urgent appeal has been issued by the fire service, which is on the lookout for more people willing to sign up as volunteer firefighters.

The Masham retained crew has become severely depleted over recent months and, on some occasions, has been unable to respond to emergencies as too few crew have turned out.

"It is a crisis as far as fire cover goes,'' said Assistant Divisional Officer Simon Gibson.

"In terms of having an appliance to cover the immediate area, it is very serious indeed.

"Although we can cover from the surrounding stations in Bedale, Summerbridge and Ripon, obviously the time they take to respond to a call will be a lot longer than the appliance responding for the town direct.''

Anyone who would like to be considered as a recruit must be aged over 18, be reasonably fit and have good eyesight.

Fore more details, contact (01765) 602403.