WINCHESTER could be stripped of overnight fire cover from full-time staff under sweeping changes proposed by Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service.

Response times in the city would increase by nearly five minutes under one of two options to be voted on next week, confirming fears from senior firefighters reported by this newspaper in June.

MORE: Winchester to get 'worst deal in Hampshire' from fire service cuts

Retained stations in nearby villages, including Alresford, Sutton Scotney and Bishop's Waltham, will see reduced vehicle fleets and staff cuts of up to a third.

Fire chiefs have stressed that no stations will close as they cut staffing across the county by nearly 18 per cent in a bid to save £12.2 million.

Deputy chief officer of Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service, Neil Odin, promised no compulsory redundancies.

He said: “Our communities are getting much better at looking after themselves. We have seen a dramatic reduction in the number of fires. We have done a lot to make Hampshire safer.”

New vehicles "will allow us to get to incidents early," he added, "so some really meaningful work and save lives."

Option one for Winchester would see the city stripped of full-time firefighters overnight, with on-call staff, who respond from their homes, increased from 12 to 14 both day and night.

Full-time staff would be cut by half to 14 during the day, with the average first response time expected to increase by four-and-a-half minutes.

Option two would see the same daytime cuts to full-time staff, with two immediate firefighters overnight. Meanwhile, the number of on-call firefighters would reduce from 12 to 10 both day and night.

The average response time would increase by 20 seconds.

Mr Odin added there could be the possibility of recruiting new members to keep stations while some services – such as back room staff – will be shared with other organisations.

But the secretary of the Hampshire Fire Brigades Union, Gary Jackson, said blasted the proposals adding "the devil was in the detail".

Mr Jackson said: "Yes, we've had 50 per cent fewer fires, but those fires aren't 50 per cent smaller.

“It’s not posts, these fire fighters will never be replaced, these fire fighters aren’t going to be at your door, that fire engine won’t be going to your house.

“When you make that call that fire may be a small fire but by the time the first response gets there it could be three or four times that size.”