THE fire service has announced a series of public meetings in towns and villages affected by controversial proposals to close eight stations.

Residents in Wilton and Mere – two of the eight stations across Dorset and Wiltshire earmarked for closure – will be able to hear directly from representatives of Dorset & Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service (DWFRS) and put their questions forward in person.

Online sessions will also be held.

Wilton Fie Station

In Wilton, sessions will take place at Castle Meadow Pavilion in Castle Lane on Monday, March 9 from 6pm to 8pm and Tuesday, March 10 between 10.30am and 12.30pm.

An online dial-in session is scheduled for Tuesday, April 21 from 12pm to 1pm.

Wilton Fire Station currently operates one fire engine and one water carrier, crewed by 13 on-call firefighters, and serves a population of 12,751.

DWFRS says closing the station would deliver annual savings of £233,764.

Each mobilisation currently costs £1,788, and the service estimates response times would rise by 58 seconds if the station were to shut.

Mere Fire Station

In Mere, public meetings will be held at Mere Lecture Hall in Salisbury Street on Wednesday, March 4 between 6pm and 8pm, and Thursday, March 5 from 10.30am to 12.30pm.

An hour-long online session will follow on Thursday, April 23 from 6pm.

Mere Fire Station has one fire engine and seven on-call firefighters, covering a population of 6,762.

According to DWFRS, mobilisations cost £2,565 each, compared with an average of £1,831 for a similar station.

The service says closing the station would result in annual savings of £211,909 but would increase average response times by four minutes and 55 seconds.

The consultation on the proposed closures runs until Friday, May 15.

Residents can take part by completing the online survey via the DWFRS website.