Bradford's new £4 million fire station will open next Monday, fire chiefs have announced.

The state-of-the-art complex in Leeds Road replaces the 35-year-old station in Nelson Street.

Bradford crews are among the busiest in West Yorkshire, dealing with more than 3,000 incidents last year, said West Yorkshire Acting Chief Fire Officer Simon Pilling.

Mr Pilling said it was critical that the firefighters had modern facilities in the right location to provide the best possible emergency service to the people of Bradford.

He said: "The importance we attach to this site is reflected by the fact that it will also house the district's fire safety enforcement and community safety teams and provide headquarters for the new district manager, Keith Robinson.

"The operational firefighting crews will be managed by a new station commander, Martin Day, while protection services will be managed by Station Manager Richard Doyle."

The new station has five appliance bays and a three-storey administration block. On the ground floor there is a community room for use by local groups with additional space for workshops and fitness training.

The external area has a training tower and car parking.

Councillor Mohammed Jamil (Con, Bowling and Barkerend), who is vice-chairman of West Yorkshire Fire Authority's finance and resources committee, said he believed the station would provide a critical boost for the developing infrastructure of central Bradford.

He said: "The complex was designed with much more than a traditional fire station in mind. We wanted to move it slightly out of the city centre to where greater concentrations of people now live, particularly those in the higher risk areas of Bradford 3.

"We're an active partner in the regeneration of Bradford. Our facilities are there to be shared with the community we serve."

Fire authority chairman Councillor Gordon Beever said the new station had taken a decade to come to fruition.

He said: "The project suffered repeatedly because of complications around land ownership and construction so I am delighted the county's flagship station is finally fully operational."

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