NOT one of up to 50 jobs will be safe at Redditch fire station if the Government forces Hereford and Worcester Fire Brigade to cut its budget by more than £2 million.

Redditch firefighters face an anxious wait to find out if an appeal against Government plans to cap Hereford and Worcester Combined Fire Authority has been successful.

The Government felt the authority's budget of £26.8 million from council taxpayers was too much and wants to see it slashed by about £2.5 million.

If the budget is cut, every household will have to be sent a new revised council tax bill, which will cost a further £600,000.

Station officer Mark Preece said everybody's job was in jeopardy and, after several visits from fire chiefs and finance bosses, crews based at the Birmingham Road station were deeply concerned.

He said: "The gravity of the situation is really coming home to them. They realise now it is not just the fire brigade scaremongering and that if we are capped, the only way they will find that sort of saving will be to see a reduction in personnel.

"We all have families, mortgages and bills to pay so everyone is very concerned.

"You come into the fire service thinking it is a fairly stable and secure occupation."

Mr Preece said the realisation their jobs were under threat had left both firefighters and non-uniform officers numb with shock.

He explained the reason the budget was so high was in order to meet Government targets and 80 per cent of it was spent on salaries.

He added: "If the Government had given us more funding so we could carry out its modernisation programme then we wouldn't need to ask for so much from the council taxpayer."

Mr Preece said although he felt the station would not be closed if the capping went ahead, no scenario was beyond reason.

"We just feel like there is a black cloud looming over us. Everybody was starting to think things were moving forward following the industrial action 18 months ago and now this has come along," he added.