HEREFORD and Worcester Fire Brigade is set to join a national initiative to fight the growing problem of automatic false alarms which, nationally, cost the economy around £1 billion a year.

The brigade attends around 2,500 automatic false alarm calls a year, with each call costing around £372.

As well as the cost, automatic false alarms divert fire and rescue services from responding to real emergencies.

Each business premises that the brigade attends will receive a booklet offering advice on how they can avoid a repeat through good management practice.