PEAK-time cover is to be slashed at one of Southampton's busiest fire stations in a bid to meet new response times.

For six months from September, a fire engine from Redbridge station, at the heart of a city estate, will be sent 12 miles away to Winchester each evening to provide a faster response to emergency calls there.

But this would leave an area dominated by scores of tower blocks with just one fire engine.

Fire Brigades Union chiefs fear lives will be lost in what they say is a reckless quest to hit new response-time targets and are planning to deliver 10,000 leaflets to Southampton residents to warn them of the changes.

The response-time review was triggered by the government's plans to modernise the fire service.

The new rules say that a fire engine has to reach any emergency scene in eight minutes, in 80 per cent of cases.

This replaces old rules, which broke down the county into risk areas and dictated response times accordingly - so for a city house fire the response time would be a matter of minutes, whereas for a rural barn fire it could be as long as 20 minutes.

Union chiefs say sending a fully-staffed engine to Winchester, where firefighters are called from home for late-night "shouts", will boost response times there but put lives at risk in Southampton.

"It's ridiculous," said FBU Hampshire spokesman Roy Goring. "If there was a tower block fire in Millbrook, Redbridge fire station wouldn't be able to do it.

"You need two fire engines. There's virtually nothing you can do with one appliance apart from wait for another engine - which could come from anywhere."

Hampshire FBU is preparing to send out thousands of leaflets to residents affected by the change, calling on them to protest to councillors and MPs. The leaflet portrays a powerful set of pictures showing the reduction from two fire engines and nine firefighters to one fire engine and four firefighters.

But HFRS said the changes would not put lives at risk.

A statement said: "This will be achieved by using our existing resources without any detriment to our emergency response.

"Our longer term risk reduction strategy will focus our resources on reducing emergencies by educating our communities in prevention, supporting better protection measures in buildings and by locating our operational resources in the right places at the right time."

Spokesman Mike Gates added: "We provide professional service across the whole area at all times irrespective of where any particular appliance is based."