The number of firefighters employed by Surrey Fire and Rescue Service has dropped by nearly a third in the past decade, official figures show.

Government figures reveal the scale of cuts on Surrey's fire service, with a sharp decline in the number of firefighters covering the county in the past decade.

In 2011, 641 full-time firefighters covered Surrey, compared to 469 in 2018. Station managers were the hardest hit, with 43 on staff for the whole of Surrey in 2011, compared to 20 in 2018.

Surrey Comet reported last month that a further £5.8 million in savings are expected to be slashed from the County’s budget by 2021, according to Surrey County Council's medium-term financial plan.

Joe Weir, south east secretary at the Fire Brigade Union, warned that further cuts to firefighter numbers and a reduction in funding would put lives at risk.

Mr Weir said: "It will take firefighters longer to arrive at emergencies and they will have to wait for backup crews before entering a burning building. Cutting funding for Fire and Rescue Services is risking lives, and as a consequence there will be avoidable deaths.”

A Surrey County Council spokesman said: “We’re committed to continuing to transform the fire service to meet the modern needs of our residents and keep them as safe as possible.

“The work expected of our fire crews has changed greatly in recent years so it is vital we have an agile service that can respond to these changing needs.

“We’re investing in new equipment and vehicles and recently carried out a recruitment campaign. Our focus is on creating a flexible service to ensure we have the right people and the right equipment in the right place at the right time to keep Surrey’s residents safe.”