WORK on a £30,000 engineering project to cut Darlington firefighters' response times to emergency calls start today.

It has been revealed that ambulances will also be using the town's fire station under new arrangements.

A break in the central reservation in St Cuthbert's Way, on Darlington's inner ring road, is being created so that fire engines can turn right out of the fire station.

Because of the present road layout, firefighters answering emergency calls to the north of the town must turn left and drive around the Feethams roundabout, then double back.

Fire chiefs say the scheme, which will involve flashing lights to warn motorists, could shave between two and three minutes off response times at rush hour periods.

North-East Ambulance Service chiefs plan to share the Darlington fire station, and it is understood that talks have being taking place with a view to using spare capacity in the form of old workshops.

They could provide a home for ambulances responding to emergency calls in the town.

The work in St Cuthbert's Way is expected to take about six weeks, with the cost of the project being shared between Darlington Borough Council, the fire service and the ambulance service. It involves widening the central reservation and installing warning lights on the road.

Motorists will face disruption while the work is taking place, but it is hoped it will be kept to a minimum.

Assistant Divisional Officer Iain Davison, from the County Durham and Darlington Fire and Rescue Service, said: "The ambulance service has been looking for somewhere and we have been trying to put our heads together with a view to them sharing the site.

"This new scheme will benefit us all, especially when the roads are busy and we need to get somewhere quickly."

Darlington Borough Council spokesman Steve Jones said: "This will save minutes and save lives."