East Devon MP Simon Jupp has applauded plans to rethink changes to Exmouth Fire Station's coverage of the town and called controversial plans to close fire stations in Budleigh Salterton and Topsham 'unacceptable'.

Changes planned for Exmouth which could have seen the town lose it's 24-hour cover have been delayed as the decision on whether or not to replace full time firefighters with day crews and on-call cover at night has been deferred.

Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Authority has now published the findings of its 2019 Safer Together consultation.

In response to the report's findings Mr Jupp said: "The closures of Budleigh and Topsham are unacceptable and I strongly urge the Fire Authority to reconsider & put safety first.

"The proposals to close Budleigh and Topsham are short-sighted and I will take further action if the Fire Authority proceeds with the cuts. I'm glad new options are being considered for Exmouth and Sidmouth as the original plans were woefully inadequate."

In response Independent county councillor for Otter Valley and Mr Jupp's closest rival in the recent General Election Claire Wright has said: "Simon if you've read the consultation document you will know the reason the cuts are proposed is because of your own government's austerity measures.

"It's disingenuous to disassociate these issues and blame the Fire Authority. You might ask the Chancellor for more funding. He seems to have found money for just about everything else or was this just to get through the election."

Here is a summary of the recommendations made in the consultation report:

-A decision on the future of Exmouth Fire Station must be agreed with the Fire Brigades Union before the end of the 2019-2020 financial year.

-Budleigh Salterton Fire Station will close with 'affected firefighters allowed to respond from Exmouth Fire Station'.

-Topsham Fire Station will be relocated to Service Headquarters in Exeter and one of it's fire engines will be relocated to Middlemoor Fire Station.

-Honiton and Sidmouth Fire Station will retain their second fire engines, which were originally slated to be scrapped.

A spokesperson for Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service said: "The Service has recognised that the current, traditional delivery model does not fit the needs of the communities or the aspirations for a progressive, modern fire and rescue service.

"Many station locations and appliances are based on historical, fixed locations. In some areas there is an over provision of resources, in other areas there are not enough. Operational duty systems are inflexible and are based solely on response rather than preventing emergencies from happening.

"The On-call model is based on financial reward for attending incidents, when incident numbers are reducing in line with the Service vision. Historical rules mean that all fire appliances have been crewed with a minimum of four firefighters which effects availability and response times, impacting on public safety, whilst restricting the opportunity for on-call staff to attend emergencies and increase their earnings.

"The proposals in this paper are innovative, progressive and driven from staff and public feedback. They are designed to improve the reliability of emergency cover, in particular for On-call stations. The Service aims to remove resources such as appliances and stations that are not needed and invest heavily where we need an improved service."

If you would like to read the consultation report yourself, click the red button below.