THE county's emergency services could be sharing a new super HQ complex at Police Headquarters in Devizes within three years.

The three emergency services have also made a radical pledge to merge as many of the police, fire and ambulance stations in towns across Wiltshire as possible.

Although each service will maintain its independence, the authorities believe substantial financial savings can be made by sharing the same site.

The three services have already won Government funding for a joint control centre in London Road, to be built on the site of a demolished four-storey building.

Work is expected to start on the joint 999 call centre in March.

The Ambulance Service wants to move its present headquarters from Malmesbury Road, Chippenham, to Devizes when the communications centre is completed in March 2002.

Ambulance chief executive Dennis Lauder said: "No organisation wants to be far from its control centre so it makes more sense for us to move."

It is thought the ambulance service would take up a wing of the police headquarters and no new building would be necessary.

County chief fire officer, Neil Wright, said the brigade was looking to build a purpose-built headquarters at London Road, Devizes, but it was financially committed with the joint control centre, it could not think of completing a new HQ until 2004.

Mr Wright said a decision on the future of the brigade's present headquarters at Potterne Manor has not been made nor is likely to be for some time.

Town and district councillor Charles Winchcombe welcomed the proposed move. He said: "It's a brilliant idea. I can't imagine why it wasn't done years ago. There's bound to be an increase in efficiency if they're all on the one site."

More radically, the three services are looking to bring their personnel under the same roof in town stations.

A police spokesman said: "The project is collaboration rather than amalgamation. It is an example of the unified working which Jack Straw, the Home Secretary, praised. It is hoped to have the headquarters complex running by 2004."

The three chiefs made a joint presentation to the Home Secretary at the National Emergency Services Conference in London on Tuesday.