THE transfer of fire control rooms across the South East to a single regional base in Hampshire will undermine efforts to tackle future flooding, the Government has been warned.

The Eastleigh and Isle of Wight control rooms are due to be merged with seven others across the South East to form a massive centre in Kite's Croft, Fareham, by 2012. The new centre, which is currently under construction, will eventually deal with inquiries from an area of nearly 20,000 square km, home to more than eight million people.

Ministers say the regional centres - of which there will be eight across England - will strengthen technology and make it easier to respond quickly and effectively to major incidents.

But the Conservatives have claimed that regionalising the fire service would "undermine the effectiveness'' of attempts to deal with floods of the kind which devastated parts of Southern England last month.

Eric Pickles, the Shadow Secretary of State for Local Government, said: "The Labour Government's expensive plans for the regionalisation of the fire control services are deeply flawed. I fear it could actually undermine the effectiveness of the emergency services in tackling incidences like floods.''