Shipley fire station could lose one of its two fire engines to Bradford if new plans go ahead.

The idea has been met with mixed feelings by firefighters - and residents of the town are horrified.

Fire chiefs will put forward the proposals to halve the station's firefighting capacity, part of the fire service's modernisation plans, at a West Yorkshire Fire Authority meeting on September 19.

Station commander Martin Day said: "The plans are to relocate Shipley's second pump into Bradford so that we would get better fire cover as a whole in the region.

"The plans are as a result of the White Paper that was published after the firefighter dispute, which looks at areas which are not quite as busy as others. Although Shipley is a populated area, there are stations busier than here."

The news had been met with mixed feelings at the station, where staff would be cut from 52 to 28, not including the station commander.

He added: "Because of natural wastage and other transfers already in the pipeline, a very small number of people will actually have to transfer. Some want to continue working here, but we need to put fire engines where people are at risk."

Former fire safety minister Chris Leslie, MP for Shipley, wants to look at the plans carefully before making a decision.

He said: "If the proposals are not in the interests of local residents, I will object to them, but I need to look at the overall plans."

In a straw poll, ten residents of Shipley said they would reject the idea out of safety fears.

Retired electrical engineer Ronald Buffham, 77, of Shipley, said: "I would feel most unhappy about it. Bradford probably does need more fire cover, but if you go along those lines, everything would be moved there, leaving us with nothing."

Councillor Tony Miller (Shipley East, Lab) slammed the plans as a "retrograde, Dickensian step".

He said: "We can't sit back and say that we haven't had many fires therefore we don't need many engines. We have to have precautions in place.

"The people of Shipley and surrounding areas have suffered a decimation of police services and will see this as another erosion of services to the centre of Bradford."

If plans are approved, a five-month public consultation will follow, with the changes likely to be made in spring next year.