'We don't want Stoke-on-Trent's main police station behind our house!' - Residents hit out over plans to merge cop shop and fire station

Residents living close to the city centre's fire station have hit out at plans for police to move in after raising concerns over regular sirens constantly disturbing them.

Under the major overhaul Hanley Community Fire Station is set to welcome Staffordshire's police officers in a move that will create the county's first 'emergency services hub'.

But nearby families are worried having two lots of response vehicles - police and fire - will mean sirens regularly going off.

Matthew Ellis Staffordshire's Commissioner for Police, Fire and Crime has insisted that bringing the services together under one roof at various locations was at an 'early stage' - but recently revealed Hanley would be the first.

Now residents living close to the Lower Bethesda Street-based fire station have hit out at having a busy emergency hub as a neighbour.

Regent Road resident George Simpson's garden backs onto the fire station. The 79-year-old said: "I don't think it will work.

"We'll probably have more sirens going especially at all hours of the morning. A lot are elderly around here.

"The fire brigade are quite good unless they're leaving the station. But if the police are going to start putting their sirens on before they go out it's going to disturb people isn't it?"

"It's already a joke to make an appointment at Hanley Police Station - you have to call 101 - you can't just go in anymore. Then when you do get in you have to wait ages before they answer the door."

Lisa Sims, aged 46, of Cardiff Grove, said: "It is pretty noisy and it does invade your privacy sometimes when you're in the garden. So it's a worry in terms of noise as they'll be more frequent."

Clive Cowfield, aged 90, of Cardiff Grove said: "I've lived here for 18 years and I sometimes hear the sirens. Once, I was in the garden, and it made me jump."

But Clive added: "There'll probably be more sirens more often but on the whole I've had no trouble. I think some of the other residents will be complaining."

Kathleen Johnson has no issue with the move. The 75-year-old, of Lower Bethesda Street, said: "The more activity the more the sirens will increase but it doesn't really bother me. We can hear them when they're going out, but you get used to it. After a while you forget it's there.

Officers are currently operating out of the long-serving police station on Bethesda Street alongside the nearby One Smithfield.

With a move in the offing it has not been revealed how many support staff redundancies there would be.

The merger comes at a time the county force is shutting reception desks at 13 stations including at Leek, Burslem, Newcastle, Biddulph, Stone, Kidsgrove and Cheadle. It leaves Longton as the only public-facing reception desk in North Staffordshire.

Meanwhile a decision has been made to flog eight police stations including those in Stone, Tunstall and Newcastle.

Mr Ellis had previously told a scrutiny meeting there are plans to dispose of a 'significant number of outdated buildings.' He said: "The public are paying a large amount of money for very large fire stations, which are superb. Significantly better than most buildings in the public sector."

The Hanley move has been met with a cold response from Staffordshire's Police Federation. Chairman Keith Jervis said: "The Police Federation and Fire Brigades' Union are happy to work together as a joint emergency service at one base. But we don't think Hanley Fire Station as it currently stands is fit for purpose."

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