A £66.4m investment to build 16 new fire stations in the North West was announced by Communities and Local Government today.

The state of the art fire stations will replace ageing, inappropriate or poorly located buildings and facilities in Cumbria, Lancashire and Merseyside under the North West Fire and Rescue Service PFI project.

The project will deliver:
* Cumbria: 5 new stations - Carlisle East, Carlisle West (two stations), Penrith (incorporating County Council Emergency Planning Unit & Emergency Control Room) and Workington;
* Lancashire: 4 new stations - Blackburn, Burnley, Chorley and Fleetwood;
* Merseyside: 7 new stations - Belle Vale, Birkenhead, Bootle/Netherton, Formby, Kirkdale (incorporating an Operational Resource Centre), Newton le Willows, Southport (including an ambulance station).

Fire Minister Parmjit Dhanda said:
"It's important that we have modern fire stations based at the heart of our communities, ones that welcome the public as well as keeping them safe.

"That's why I'm delighted to confirm this multi-million pound funding to build 16 state-of-the-art fire stations in Cumbria, Lancashire and Merseyside.

"We need 21st Century fire stations with up-to-date facilities that provide better working conditions for male and female firefighters so they can fully represent the communities they serve."