WOOTTON Bassett is in urgent need of retained firefighters after the closure of the St Ivel factory forced many of them to find work outside the town.

Many of the local firefighters worked at the dairy plant and were allowed to respond to calls during their shifts.

The yoghurt factory, situated opposite the fire station in Station Road, closed after Uniq plc sold the Shape brand to Danone for £32 million in August last year.

Production stopped in February when 140 workers clocked off for the last time and many of the retained firefighters have now found work outside the Wootton Bassett area.

The Wootton Bassett station has 10 retained firefighters, only two of which are considered full units, meaning they can provide 24 hour cover, seven days a week and the remaining staff cover evening and weekend shifts.

The town needs 12 full units to provide adequate cover.

The shortage has meant the fire engine is often not available for calls during working hours.

When the retained firefighters are not available, crews from Westlea Fire Station have to respond to emergency calls.

They can take between two and five minutes longer than crews based in Wootton Bassett.

Wiltshire Fire Brigade's retained firefighter recruitment officer Steve Low said: "The fire brigade has had a lot of involvement in the St Ivel factory and we knew that if it did close we would find it hard to provide the same level of cover to the town.

"This has come as no surprise to us but the situation has become critical.

"It was a very good company. It allowed workers to make up the time or book time off when they went out on a job. That is quite unusual.

"We still employ a number of retained firefighters from the town but they are not around during the day because they work elsewhere."

He added the factory closure was only one reason why there was a current shortage. Also a number of firefighters had reached retirement age, which is 55.

Mr Low added Wootton Basset is a busy retained station, responding to approximately 70 calls a year during working hours and 300 calls a year out of office hours.

The fire service has launched a recruitment campaign and is holding an open evening on Monday at the Wootton Bassett Station at 7.30pm.

It is looking for Wootton Bassett people who are keen to take on the commitment.

Applicants do not need to have any formal qualifications but need to have a high level of fitness, and live or work within a mile of the station.

Successful candidates will receive all the necessary training and get paid between £5,000 and £10,000 a year depending on the level of cover they provide.

Mick Pinnegar, 55, of Poetsfield, Wootton Bassett, is acting sub officer at the Wootton Bassett station and has been a retained firefighter for 35 years. He works as a vehicle mechanic.

He said: "I enjoy doing the job because it is giving something back to the community."

To find about more about becoming a retained firefighter call the recruitment hotline on 01380 731144.