Downham Market's fire station has been officially opened

The official opening of Downham's new fire station took place on Wednesday when emergency service officers gathered to watch the ribbon be cut.

The new base replaces the former fire station which was severely damaged by a fire in March 2014, and has three engine bays instead of just the one.

The extra engine bays were seen to be crucial in making sure the base could house a traditional fire engine as well as specialist support and rescue vehicles, such as a rescue boat.

Norfolk County Council's chairman of communities committee, Margaret Dewsbury, was invited down to cut the ribbon on the new station.

She said: "Crews have already been making good use of our new tower and full size drill yard which was created thanks to the changes made to the layout of the site.

"This vital space now means that we will be able to train much needed new recruits locally.

"Despite sadness after the loss of the former station thoughts quickly turned to ensuring the new base was bigger and better than the old one.

"It's wonderful to see that we now have something that suits the needs of the services both now and into the future."

The majority of the costs were covered by the insurance with an extra £500,000 invested by Norfolk County Council to ensure the new station would have three bays.

Norfolk County councillor for Downham Market, Tony White said: "I'm very grateful for the patience of local residents who have put up with the inconvenience this type of development can bring.

"It was impressive that once we were through the usual steps of design and planning the actual build was completed in just 20 weeks to a very high standard."

Deputy Chief Constable of Norfolk Constabulary, Nick Dean, says his team is delighted to continue working with Norfolk Fire and Rescue Service.