People power has forced fire chiefs to re-think proposals on cuts to the fire service in the Bradford district.

A mammoth 12,037 letters of objection were received in only 12 weeks in opposition to West Yorkshire Fire Authority plans which include slashing the number of fire engines in Bradford district by five and the number of firefighters by 25.

Under revised proposals, the closure of Haworth retained station has been postponed for a maximum of two years while a feasibility study is completed.

Shipley and Idle stations will still close and merge, but instead of the new station being off Canal Road in Bradford, it is proposed it will be “in the vicinity of the Leeds Road-Cragg Road-Briggate area” of Shipley.

Keighley station will still lose one of its two engines, as will Fairweather Green and Odsal.

Speaking about Haworth station’s stay of execution, John Huxley, chairman of the village’s parish council, said: “I find it very encouraging, although I would like to read the proposal in more detail.

“As far as the parish council is concerned, we want to hear what the village has to say. We have heard enough to think there is a real opportunity on offer to us. It is a question of whether we want to take it.

“It is good to hear that perhaps the village and its neighbours have been heard and been given the opportunity to stake a case in more detail.”

However, Lee Indriks, Bradford divisional secretary for the Fire Brigades Union (FBU), was still sceptical about Haworth station’s future.

He said: “It is no surprise that Haworth is not closing straight away. This is a stay of execution, because ultimately it will close.”

Mr Indriks added: “The FBU welcomes the stay of execution for Haworth and we acknowledge the authority has listened to the strength of public feeling and the 12,000 letters of objection.”

West Yorkshire Chief Fire Officer Simon Pilling said: “The success of the brigade’s fire safety work over the past ten years means there is undeniable scope for change. Accidental fire deaths and injuries are at an all-time low and some stations are now half as busy as they were a few years ago, so I’m confident we can rationalise and modernise the service whilst still providing effective fire cover.”

Mr Pilling said the West Yorkshire Fire Service had to save between £8-12 million over the next two years as a result of Government-imposed cuts.

He added: “I believe that these proposals represent changes that will have the least impact on emergency cover for the county, yet contribute significantly to addressing the financial gap the authority must address.”

The proposals will be considered by the fire authority next Friday.