CAMPAIGNERS fighting to save Horton Kirby fire station are refusing to admit defeat, despite the fire authority confirming the station will shut.

During a four-month consultation period, more than 2,500 homeowners signed a petition in objection but Kent and Medway Fire and Rescue Authority members have voted to go ahead with plans.

The decision was made at a meeting last week (February 15), with all but two members condemning the station and agreeing to open a new station five miles away in New Ash Green.

Now campaigners say they are considering the possibility of a judicial review against the decision.

Campaign leader Colin Willson, 38, of New Road in Darenth, said: “I wasn’t surprised but I do think they approved the decision without fully looking at the questionnaires.

“We have time on our side - we’ve got about a year’s reprieve hopefully before New Ash Green is open.

“We don’t stop here, not by a long run.”

Homeowners in the villages of Horton Kirby, Eynsford and South Darenth are worried the closure will increase response times and put lives at risk, as engines will travel from Dartford.

Former station commander at Horton Kirby, Kevin Say, said: “I’m disgusted at the fire authority for rubber stamping a flawed research into fire cover.

“They should have listened to the public concerns."

It is thought the closure, which will not result in redundancies, will save the fire authority £179,000 a year.

But for New Ash Green homeowners, the new fire station is being welcomed.

Ash-cum-Ridley parish council clerk Alison De Jeger said: “New Ash Green is a series of neighbourhoods as opposed to streets. "It’s extremely difficult to find some addresses - the local knowledge is really important.

“We have had incidents in the past where emergency services have been called out and have been unable to find the address.

"We are delighted to be getting a fire station.”

Kent and Medway Fire and Rescue Authority chairman Bryan Cope, said: “All the evidence shows we have eight more engines than we need, even to deal with a major emergency.

“Several stations - some established in Victorian times - are now in the wrong location, while in other areas we need more emergency cover.”

A further seven stations in Kent will close before April this year but it is not yet known when Horton Kirby station will shut.