FIREFIGHTERS say they have been left in limbo while they await an overdue decision on their future role.

The fire crews at Twyford and Titchfield were expecting a final judgement by Home Office mandarins weeks ago. The complexity of the inquiry has delayed the decision.

Will Latham said he and colleagues at Twyford, near Winchester, needed to know as soon as possible so that they could prepare for the future.

He added: "We just want to be able to get on with our lives.

"If we're staying we need to recruit and upgrade the training. If not we have to think about our jobs. Morale is affected but we keep going because we are a professional outfit."

The stations were first recommended for closure in April 1998 as part of a massive shake-up of county fire cover. Despite strong opposition from residents, officers and unions, Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service argues the loss of the stations will free up resources and improve cover.

Documents explaining the pros and cons of closure were sent to the Chief Inspector of Fire Services more than four months ago giving a full technical appraisal of the stations and details of public consul-tations carried out.

But any decision is still a long way off, according to the Home Office, even though firefighters claim they were initially told the process would only take around eight weeks. A spokesman for Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service said: "The Home Office has requested a certain amount of extra information, but that only shows what a very, very thorough job they're doing. We expected nothing less.

"We knew this wasn't going to be a rubber stamp job - they aren't going to rush an important decision like this."

A Home Office spokesman was unable to give any clear indication when the decision would be announced.

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