WORCESTERSHIRE’S top fire officer has been called in to lead the major flood rescue underway in England’s North West.

Paul Hayden, Herefordshire and Worcestershire Fire and Rescue Service’s chief fire officer, is on his way to a command centre in West Yorkshire.

He and service colleague Paul Amos, area manager, will be taking key roles in the relief effort in Cumbria after devestating floods struck the region.

A major rescue effort has been launched involving emergency services and specialist volunteer rescue teams after the area was washed out by heavy rainfall.

A service spokeswoman said: “Our chief fire officer and the area manager for community risk have been sent to the national co-ordination centre in West Yorkshire.

“They will be co-ordinating rescue efforts in Cumbria on behalf of the Chief Fire Officer’s Association.”

The two men are leading experts on flood emergency management, nationally.

In the summer floods of 2007, Mr Hayden led the national coordination of the flood rescue operations while Mr Amos was also heavily involved.

Both men are also helped lead the way on flood response.

The service chief sits on the Government’s flood rescue national enhancement programme and has worked in Europe and the US on multi-national civil emergency exercises.

Mr Amos is the the Chief Fire Officers Association’s representative on the search and rescue operations group.

• Get live news about the flood devastation from our sister paper The Westmorland Gazette.