FIREFIGHTERS say 2000 Didcot and Abingdon residents have joined a campaign to block cuts at the towns’ fire stations.

Oxfordshire Fire and Rescue Service wants to remove two full-time firemen from each station, using them to cover shortfalls elsewhere in the county.

It means at night and weekends, the towns would rely more heavily on part-time retained firemen, who must go to the station before fire engines can head off.

Firefighters say the delays could lead to people dying – managers insist crews will still hit response targets.

The Fire Brigades Union (FBU) said 2000 members of the public have signed letters of objection handed out in Didcot and Abingdon and left in local shops.

At the New Coronet Bingo Hall, 50 people signed letters in two days. Manager John Carpenter said: “I’ve been here 30 years and never seen such anger. It has been absolutely unanimous. There has not been one voice against it.

“People are just fuming that something as important as this is being cut.”

At a heated public meeting in Didcot Civic Hall on Monday, firefighters openly criticised managers’ plans. One member of the public accused the service of “robbing Peter to pay Paul” – stripping back Didcot’s cover to protect others.

Fireman’s wife and Didcot resident Sarah West, 34, said: “A lot of retained firmen live in Ladygrove. Therefore response times will be longer.”

County deputy chief fire officer Dave Etheridge said in a “worst case scenario”, fire crews would take 1 minute 4 seconds at night, and 3 minutes 37 seconds longer at weekends.

He said: “It is highly unlikely that these times would be reached. This is us being open and honest, based on historic data. We will be slightly slower, but still able to meet response standards.”

FBU Oxfordshire chairman Steve Allen said: “This is not about job cuts or pay, only about public safety.”