A MOTHBALLED fire control centre, which is costing taxpayers £93,000 a month, could still be used by the emergency services, it has been suggested.

The North-East Fire Control Centre, in Belmont, Durham, has stood idle since a multi-million pound scheme to bring together the fire services of County Durham, Teesside, Tyne and Wear and Northumberland was scrapped last year.

The building could eventually cost £27m in rent.

Earlier this week, the National Audit Office branded the project a “comprehensive failure”.

Last night, the County Durham and Darlington Fire and Rescue service (CDDFRS) said the failure was “disappointing”.

But chief executive Susan Johnson said: “The project has left behind a highly resilient building in the heart of Durham.

“It would be a shame if the building cannot be used by the fire service for the benefit of people in County Durham and Darlington.”

The Government wants to see scrapped control centres put to fire service use.

Fire chiefs are now in talks with neighbouring services and Whitehall over what should become of Belmont.

No proposals are yet on the table, but it is thought possible solutions could include the building becoming a regional back-up in case other centres fail, an overflow resource in case of a major emergency or a centre for County Durham and Darlington. CDDFRS is currently based in ageing buildings in congested Framwellgate Moor.

John Hewitt, CDDFRS’ director of corporate resources, said any proposal would have to deliver value for money, each service was considering its own position and the decision would be one for local fire authorities.

A decision is expected before the end of the year.

Andy Noble, the Fire Brigades Union’s executive council member for the North-East, said the National Audit Office’s condemnation of the “dismal”

regional fire control project was, unfortunately, no surprise.

Its costs could have funded Durham and Tyne and Wear fire services for five years and the coalition should learn the lessons.

North Yorkshire’s fire control room, in Northallerton, was earmarked to make way for a multi-million pound regional centre in Wakefield, in West Yorkshire.

The project was scrapped in December.