West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service has officially opened a new multi-million pound technical rescue centre.

The county's Lord Lieutenant Dr Ingrid Roscoe did the honours at the Service's headquarters in Birkenshaw.

The £2.2m training complex was "desperately needed" to expand and upgrade practice facilities that already existed on the site, said Chief Fire Officer Phil Toase.

As part of the project, the outdated fire-smoke house and nearby garages were demolished and a new tower built to improve lighting on the drill square.

"Our firefighters deserve the best possible training, and the public of West Yorkshire demand the best trained firefighters," said Mr. Toase.

"This development will allow us to be far better equipped to meet the increasing demands we are faced with."

Councillor Gordon Beever, who chairs West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Authority, said the new complex represented the largest investment on the HQ site for many years and provided up-to-the-century accommodation.

The three-storey complex, just next to Whitehall Road and Bradford Road junction, also has a covered area for practising cutting trapped victims from cars, as well as other rescues from tight spaces and using ropes to save lives at risk.

Under the new complex is a 25m long network of sewer pipes, accessed by ladders and complete with sumps.

Training instructor Martin Johnson says the pipes help bring realism to the courses he runs.

"There can be an element of panic sometimes down there, especially when it's someone's first time and there's always a rush of adrenaline. If it happens we always reassure trainees they are never in a situation that the instructor is not in control of. If the trainees are going to make a mistake this is the place to do it."

The complex also has lecture rooms, staff rooms, a gym, saunas, showers, toilets and changing facilities - a careers development team who used to be based off-site have also moved in.

Every year the Birkenshaw centre has about 60 recruits passing through its training programme and it also runs courses for the service's established personnel.