HAMPSHIRE fire chiefs have vowed to keep closer tabs on spending after the county's fire authority's bank balance was hit hard last year.

More cash than expected had to be spent on building repairs and recruiting more staff in a 12-month period from April 2000.

The authority managed to stay £8,000 in the black as pension costs were nearly £700,000 less than expected.

But members still stressed the need to keep on top of budgets in the future.

At a meeting this week of the authority's finance and general purposes committee in Eastleigh, treasurer Jon Pittam said the accounts for 2000/01 were "satisfactory".

Authority member John Stocks said: "With the pensions business we have been lucky. It dug us out of a hole.

"In another year it may not dig us out of a hole again."

Chairman Margaret Snaith said: "We as members need to monitor this far more closely."

* SOUTHAMPTON'S new £1.65m fire station is on schedule and on budget.

Members of Hampshire fire authority finance and general purposes committee were told at a meeting this week that the station in Brintons Road, St Mary's, should be finished by February.

David Howells, director of corporate services at the fire service, said bad weather at the start of this year had threatened the expected completion date of the fire station.

But he added that builders were now back on track to finish on the original date.

He told the meeting in Eastleigh: "At the moment, we anticipate that we will be on budget and on time. We expect most of the major work to be finished by October."

St Mary's crews are currently stationed at a temporary base in Belvidere Road, Northam, while the new station is constructed.