In a bid to improve response times, Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service is now providing additional night cover in Winchester with a full-time crew.

A six-month trial, which began on Wednesday, means one full-time four to six-man crew and an engine will move up from Redbridge, Southampton, each day to be stationed in the city between 6pm and 11pm.

The five-hour period has been identified as a peak time for incidents.

The scheme is part of the service's efforts to achieve its target of reaching 80% of emergency incidents within eight minutes.

Union bosses have criticised the move, saying that it will increase risk to the public and that it won't solve the problem of a lack of manpower.

However, senior divisional officer, Kevin Butcher, said the plan would not compromise safety.

"We're trying to get more clever about how we manage resources," he explained.

In Winchester, he said, a full-time stationed crew was replaced at 6pm by retained firefighters who had to travel from home when they were called out. This could lead to a delay of up to five minutes before the engines set off. Under the new arrangements, the crew from Redbridge would be ready to go instantly.

Mr Butcher said the move was an attempt to improve community safety and response times and would not lead to more risk.

"There is a perception that our 52 stations are crewed 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The reality is that the majority are not crewed at all," he added.

"All our fire engines are doing other work all round the county. We move them around to cover the gaps."

A bonus, he said, would be that the full-time night crew would have the time that their part-time colleagues could not spare to become involved in the service's education programme, advising the public about fire safety and encouraging households to fit smoke detectors.

Mr Butcher said the trial could be stopped at any time if it was found not to be working.

A spokesman for Hampshire FBU said: "The union is not happy about the move. "Just moving a pump from somewhere else does not solve the problem - it just moves it. What we need to do is increase the manpower in Winchester."

The move leaves Redbridge with just one fire tender at night.